What Strength Really Feels Like

Picture of a brain lifting weights to gain strength

I couldn’t lift the nine-pound weight with my left arm.

The first week my trainer handed it to me, I struggled to lift it five times. Five. That was it. My arm felt weak, unstable… almost like it didn’t belong to me.

For the next few weeks, I carried that same nine-pound weight back and forth to the training facility. Every time I’d try again. And every time, my trainer would gently show me what needed to change…how I was moving, what I was compensating for, where I needed to build strength.

It wasn’t just about lifting the weight. It was about learning how.

Now, here I am again… bringing that same weight home for the third time. And instead of feeling frustrated, I found myself getting curious.

About strength. What does it actually mean to be strong?

In that moment I didn’t feel strong. I felt limited. A little discouraged. Even a bit impatient with myself.

Maybe strength isn’t what we’ve always thought it was.

We tend to think being strong means pushing through, powering up, forcing our way forward. But what if strength looks different from that?

What if being strong is staying with something even when it’s hard?

What if it’s showing up again… and again… even when progress feels slow?

What if it’s allowing ourselves to not be there yet?

To be strong isn’t always about lifting the weight. Sometimes, it’s about not giving up on ourselves while we’re learning how.

And strength…

Strength is something deeper.

It’s the quiet, inner resource that allows us to keep going. It’s what helps us face frustration without shutting down. It’s what lets us stay open, even when something feels uncomfortable or unfamiliar.

Strength doesn’t always look powerful.

Sometimes it looks like:

• trying again

• asking for help

• adjusting our approach

• or simply being patient with where we are

That nine-pound weight didn’t just challenge my arm. It showed me where I was weak…but more importantly, it showed me where I could grow.

And isn’t that what life does too?

It hands us situations we can’t quite “lift” yet. Moments that feel uncomfortable, frustrating, or just plain hard.

Not to prove we’re not strong… but to show us where strength is waiting to be built.

So maybe being strong isn’t about having it all figured out. Maybe it’s about staying present with the process. Learning. Adjusting. Growing. One rep at a time.

And in the same way I’m building strength in my arm…I help you build strength within yourself…so you can move through life’s challenges with more ease, awareness and trust in who you’re becoming.

Wherever you are on your journey, may you find what works for you…find your own truth…and you will always be guided to feel at peace inside.