It's okay to be soft
The opposite of strong is not weak
It's okay to be soft
what he discovered was that, in finally allowing himself to feel weak and helpless—totally helpless—he felt less helpless and more in control than ever. Strength is not the opposite of weakness. Real strength lies in the total embrace of weakness.
Jeff Foster • The Deepest Acceptance
How strange that the nature of life is change, yet the nature of human beings is to resist change. And how ironic that the difficult times we fear might ruin us are the very ones that can break us open and help us blossom into who we were meant to be.
Elizabeth Lesser • Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow
Is it because change appears to threaten our survival?
What looks like weakness is actually where your strength lies. And what looks like strength is often weakness, an attempt to cover up fear; this is an act or a facade, however convincing it might appear to others or even to yourself.
Jon Kabat-Zinn • Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life
Not sure if I agree, but interesting perspective
Failure Throwback: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
podcasts.apple.comThrowback episode of How To Fail With Elizabeth Day with Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Being strong for so long had blinded me to accepting the truth of my situation and kept me from reaching out to others that could help in my times of need. Being strong kept me from realizing that the things we often think are most important in this life, really are not. Being strong had kept me from pursuing an authentic and courageous life. Being... See more
Melissa Faith • Being strong is so overrated
Couldn’t agree more https://melissafaithbodin.wordpress.com/2013/12/05/being-strong-is-so-overrated/
Instead....as I started to picture the trees in the storm, the answer began to dawn on me. The trees in the storm don't try to stand up straight and tall and erect. They allow themselves to bend and to be blown with the wind. They understand the power of letting go. [...] Those trees and those branches that try too hard to stand up strong and strai... See more
Julia Butterfly Hill | Are.na
From The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods by Julia Butterfly Hill
The requirement to be strong can be damaging to the human spirit. Exerting immense energy to hold back tears while around others isn't much different than hiding concerns about money, security, and prosperity. Hiding our vulnerabilities is neither healthy nor fruitful.