We go through life oscillating between feeling strong and sometimes not. When we are feeling strong, we live with confidence that we can take on anything that comes our way, and yet when we find our strength waning, even the things we could easily handle start becoming a burden.

We may not realise it, but subconsciously the peaks and valleys of strength keep us on the edge, not knowing whether we will be able to take the next set of experiences in our stride. Understanding this becomes the first step in rooting ourselves in an inner unshakable source of strength.

The surge of confidence that we feel when things are going our way often vanishes when the tide turns against us. In prosperity we feel strong and in the midst of challenges not. Uncertainty shakes us.

When we are in a peaceful environment with people we trust, we feel a sense of strength and well-being. However, when we face hostility and bad faith, our inner equipoise gets badly disturbed and we are often left searching for the strength we had in better times. Negativity shakes us.

Till the initial enthusiasm of keeping to the promises we have made ourselves sustains, we feel strong and in control. But when our inner resolve weakens, and we find our faith, discipline, and devotion to our plans and goals wavering, we lose the sense of strength we had experienced. Lack of commitment shakes us.

Relationships give us a sense of security. But like all things in the world, relationships are transient, they will not last forever. Some relations go through serious challenges and differences, and some we lose as they pass away. Strength in relationships gives way to inner turmoil when we lose them. Attachments shake us.

Like a tree, we need to learn how to weather the seasons of life. Once we realise why sometimes we feel strong, and sometimes not, we will know what we need to be rooted in. We need to root ourselves in acceptance that we will go through varied experiences, and each experience has an end. We need to root ourselves in the knowledge that our ability to solve a problem is always bigger than the problem. We need to root ourselves in the faith that every experience, no matter how challenging, has come for a purpose.

Sometimes life will be favourable, sometimes not; that’s life. But that won’t matter if we have found the constant inner strength to overcome the feeling that sometimes we’re strong, sometimes not.

(Picture-Van Dusen Botanical Garden, Vancouver)