Say what you will about Malcom Gladwell’s controversial writing techniques and tendency to choose biased examples in his books to make tenuous points. I still believe that his unique way of looking at the world has an overall positive impact on his readers, even if they don’t buy everything he is proposing.
I have been listening to the audiobook version of David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants. It has been just the right book at just the right time. I love, and completely believe, that often the things we think of as weaknesses, setbacks, and trials can become the very things that make us strong.
Ever since I heard this quote about courage from Gladwell’s book it has been rolling through my mind and speaking to my heart.
Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover that they aren’t so tough after all.
Do you agree?
Having made it through a few tough things myself, and facing a few more tough things right now, I do know that so often we can be stronger, taller, braver than we ever thought possible. This gives me comfort as a mother especially, knowing that the struggles I see my kids coming up against might very well be the trials that will give them the courage to eventually succeed.
Leave a Reply