Being weak is the state of not being able to withstand any kind of strength, no matter if it is mental or physical. Specifically, physical weakness means a person may not be able to move certain parts of their body properly, which results in discouraging the person and causing mental weakness. Mental weakness makes people irritable, have passive images of themselves, or incapable to control or cope with their life, which blocks their personal improvement. Melissa Stockwell, described in the article “Standing Strong” written by Marty Kaminsky, is one of those physically weak people, but she refused to become mentally weak. Melissa Stockwell is a veteran whose left leg was amputated when her Humvee in Baghdad, Iraq, struck a roadside bomb. Instead of being frustrated and questioning “why me?”, Melissa chose to accept herself and remain strong, saying, “ I wouldn't be myself until I could get back to athletics of some kind.” She saw a presentation for the Paralympic games, athletic events for people with disabilities. With countless practice and training, soon represented the USA to compete in the Paralympic Games in Beijing, China in 2008. Although her performance was disappointing, Melissa did not give up. She just kept practicing and got better. Melissa eventually won the 2010, 2011, and 2012 International Triathlon Union Paralympic World Championships. How does a weak person become a strong person?
Weak people should embrace the weaknesses, accept who they are, discover the strengths, and remain hopeful to change the quality of their life. Regardless of being weak physically or mentally, people should stop questioning “why me?” or criticizing others. Many people started out very weak or had unsolvable challenges, eventually they overcame barriers via recognizing the weakness and having a hopeful attitude. Although Helen Keller was blind and deaf, she accepted who she was and believed she could do anything as a normal person. Of course, she had to face many challenges and cope with them. She learned to express herself by writing signs on another’s palm. She strived for education and eventually turned out to be a very successful person. Her positive faith and spirit helped her to accomplish far more than many people expected. With a weak body or mind, it is OKAY that people have negative opinions about themselves. But try not to be controlled by the negative thoughts. Instead of thinking “ I am so weak. I cannot do anything to stand up for myself."Weak people should recognize their boundaries of what they can do and visualize the goal they have in mind. Just get prepared and be confident about themselves. Mandy Kloppers, a psychologist living in the United Kingdom, suggests that “ Believe the best about you, strive to improve by all means but accept where you are right now. Accept who you are and stop berating yourself for your perceived failures.” People should try to cope with the condition of being weak and have some positive faith and belief in themselves.
To become strong people, weak people should set a big ambitious goal as a motivator to keep moving forward and never give up no matter how hard the battle they get. To achieve the goal, weak people must have a strong determination as well as persist in what they are doing. Melissa accepted herself and became determined to stand on both feet. As a physically weak person, Melissa knew there were many difficult challenges in front of her, but she never gave her way out even though she got uncomfortable. She just kept practicing while tolerating discomfort. She took things one step at a time. Slowly, with many falls on the ground and much practice, Melissa took her very first step on a prosthetic leg only 52 days after the injury. For weak people, simply accepting the situation is not enough; they need to set up a goal relating to their strengths to thrive. They dedicate themselves to reach the goal with much practice. Practice definitely will bring some discomfort. But weak people need to step out of their comfort zone when facing challenges. Just keep trying while tolerating discomfort. Finding little baby steps and making progress for each day are the keys to reach the goal. The article “Resilience: Habits of Mentally Strong People” describes that “Some discomfort is often necessary for greater gain, and tolerating that discomfort will help make your vision a reality, one small step at a time.” Weak people should set up a goal, take small steps at a time, keep practicing while tolerating discomfort, and overcome obstacles with hard work and perseverance.
People, no matter if they are connected to weak people or not, should show their kindness, respect, support, and compassion to weak people to help them remain hopeful and reach their goals. What weak people need is encouragement and care from others, rather than being teased, bullied or judged by their appearances. Being born without legs and arms, Nick Vujucic’s childhood was filled with non-stop bullying and teasing at school, making him feel depressed. Nick Vujucic even attempted suicide at age 10. His parents urged him to do the best he could do and don’t let the bullying or teasing define who he is. They always told Nick nearly every day that he can do anything he wants if he keeps trying; there were no limits on Nick’s life. They were always there for Nick providing care and encouragement. Physical disabilities can make people look like they are weak, but actually they have a strong desire to succeed and want to be the same as any other people. Weak people have no choice but to accept who they are. What they want from people around them is care, love, support, and encouragement. Taylor Dutch, a former NCAA track athlete, explains “ When you have people surrounding you that want you to get better, they want to achieve similar goals that you want to achieve, they lift you up when you need it” People may have been handicapped or disabled, but they do not deserve to be laughed at, mocked or underestimated.
People may look weak outside, but they may not be weak inside. To become a strong person, weak people need to focus on what they have rather than what they have lost. They accept the weakness, not questioning “why me “ or accusing others. In addition, people need to visualize the goal in their minds so that they can know what they should do. When they fail, they may have negative thoughts. But people need to remain hopeful, not get pulled down on mood with them. Just take small steps one at a time and keep practicing while tolerating discomfort. Never give up the dream no matter how difficult the challengers are in front of them. Moreover, it is best for weak people to build up their own team – family, friends, loved ones, siblings, relatives, or anyone who shows they care. Let weak people know they are always there for them, offering love, care, support, and encouragement. Of course, weak people are not average, but they do not deserve to be laughed at. So others should not bully, tease, or laugh at people who are weak.
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