It's About Our Capacity to Withstand More (Not DO more)

When I think about personal development, it’s less about my capacity to do more. It’s about my capacity to withstand more. Sometimes there isn’t something to do about it. Sometimes the moment calls for your endurance. It’s like the part of a workout that asks you to hold your position, fully flexed at your maximum tension of effort, knowing that rep is what makes you stronger. Or at the very least, this hold reminds you of the strength you already inhabit.

Sometimes there’s nothing and no one to blame. Sometimes we find ourselves in these circumstances, scenarios, situations, and dynamics that are less than ideal. And that’s ok. Let them be that way. See what happens when you hold that uncomfortable, frustrating, unclear, unharmonious facet of your life. And when you can’t hold it any longer, when the muscle begins to fail, instead of doing something about it, simply let go.

See, the change from an undesirable circumstance to a desirable one can sometimes be found in the process of tension and release. Just as we can manipulate our bodies to do that, we can manipulate our breath to do that, we can manipulate our minds to do that. Hold onto it, flex your strength, carry it around for a little – not with a tight grip nor a desire to erase it, but rather support it in the home of your being for a while. Then release it. We work our bodies out this way to build strength, we work our nervous systems out this way to build calm, we can work our minds out this way to build steadiness. Hold, release, hold release, and over time the hold becomes easier and the release gets us to strength, calm and steadiness that much more quickly.