#12 Hack-it's: a conclusion

And here we are, at the end of our tour of the strength museum. I hope you enjoyed our little adventure. If there’s one thing I want you to get out of this, it’s the mantra we started with: strength comes from a love worth bleeding for. If you can learn to see strength in relation to love, you will begin to answer your own questions about it. On top of that, you will be able to tap into all the strength I know you are capable of. You are a beast in the making. All you have to do is love. 

And as we wrap up this topic, I want to leave you with one piece of advice. Fix your eyes on all the things you love. If you have to endure, love all the more. If you have to shift, do it because of all that you love. Do not follow blind obligation, but fall in love with all you prioritize. Remind yourself of everything that you hold dear. In due time, you won’t be groaning at those decisions that you must make, but you will cherish all the things you get to keep. Before you know it, you will become grateful for all that you get to hold onto. 

And in those dark times, when your strength might be failing, ask yourself: what do you love? Do you love it this much? If so, do you want to love it that much? Go to those places and do what you must to regain that love, that loyalty, that devotion to all that you hold dear. It won’t be easy, but you will find the means to make it through. You will see yourself in a different light. Not as weak, not as strong, but committed. You will become loyal, and devoted to the things you love most. Then, at the end of the day, you will look at yourself with pride as you realize that you have fought bravely and persevered ferociously. 

Even if things don’t work out quite as you planned them, falling in love will bring you back to where you are supposed to be. You will want to flow like a river back in the direction you are supposed to go in. You may take hits. The setbacks will come. But instead of being crushed and stagnant, you will be able to keep moving. The more your mindset shifts, the more you will be able to embrace a world of passionate movement. 

And this is only the case when you hold tight to all the things that matter to you. I started this series as a way to explore ways to be tough without shutting down. Shutting down brings you callousness and inattentiveness. You become like a map with no compass. Your love is your compass and you need to stay in tune with it to have it continue to guide you. Many men shut down, thinking they can simply “turn off” weakness. Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away. It will still creep up on you if you keep ignoring it, that much is certain. But if you find your reason to push through, the passion that drives you, then you will be able to withstand far more than the average tough guy. 

But that doesn’t mean you’re immortal. You will still fall with enough battering, so have the wisdom to know when to defend with your shield, and when to strike with the sword. This life is a battle, and you are its conqueror. I pray you find your way in darkness as you navigate the hard times that are upon you. I know I still have much to learn about life and strength, so take my words for what they are: my best shot at a far greater cause. 

As always, I pray for your wellbeing. I pray you find your strength, your love that glows bright in your darkest night. Feel free to reach out to me with any comments, questions, or anything in between. I would love to connect with you and see what you think about some of these ideas. Honestly, some of these ideas are ones I am only really processing now for the first time, so I’m open to revising them. Either way, I would love an excuse to have a good conversation, so come say hello! Otherwise, I wish you well. Thank you for joining me on this journey.

And until next time

May peace be your guide and reward