It’s remarkable how we associate endurance with sports and athletic feats—the image of a long-distance runner, a determined swimmer crossing the English Channel, or a gripping hockey game entering its second 20-minute overtime.
Growing up, the notion of endurance was seldom mentioned aside from athletics. Neither at school nor at home were we explicitly taught about endurance. Instead, we were instilled with values such as honesty, love, hard work, responsibility, and faith in God.
No one informed us during our formative years that hardships and obstacles would inevitably cross our paths. Life’s challenges spare no one; they affect us all. It’s intriguing how we always seem to know exactly how to handle someone else’s problems, yet we rarely possess the same clarity when confronting our own.
Endurance is a prerequisite skill for life itself.
Our life’s journey is long and never easy.
Full of challenging, winding & unexpected turns at times.
We tend to overlook the fact that our own problems or obstacles, as well as those of others, don’t simply emerge and dissipate within a day. Similarly, our dreams never instantly appear as reality. Some dreams may take an entire lifetime to achieve.
Given the absence of a quick fix, endurance becomes an essential trait when faced with challenges that present themselves as difficulties. Endurance is also indispensable when we strive to attain aspirations that are yet to manifest in our lives.
These two scenarios are vastly different. The first arises when we feel trapped, desiring to flee and seek refuge, overwhelmed by a sense of being wronged. The second arises from our naivety in assuming that the pursuit of our goals and dreams will always be effortless.
In most cases, we opt not to endure, regardless of the situation. We halt, surrender, and retreat. We lack the patience to persist, explore, and persevere. (Of course, it IS the easy way out.)
We must acknowledge that endurance does not guarantee success. Rather, it promises the potential for future success or the return to a more normal, stable life.
When endurance is coupled with a belief in yourself, hope is created.
Why don’t we always choose to grant ourselves the opportunity to succeed,
no matter how arduous the challenge is?
The most fertile ground for cultivating creativity in our lives necessitates endurance, together with a strong belief in ourselves to meet the challenge we face, to counterbalance the frustrations, exhaustion, discouragement, and helplessness that often permeate our journey.
It compels us to embrace the genuine prospect of achieving a breakthrough, making a discovery, or experiencing personal growth—outcomes that are beneficial, constructive, and uplifting as we “work through” our obstacles and challenges.
Our finest accomplishments materialize when we persist in our efforts every day.
This remains an invaluable lesson, whether we are chasing a dream or weathering the turbulence of a challenging situation. Using the skills of endurance & strong self-belief to empower our creativity and perseverance in helping us build a better tomorrow.