How I Found Strength in Being Weak

Weak meant shame; it was an indication that you were not trying hard enough.

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Life tumbles in all possible directions, sometimes bright and shining as though greeting you with wide-open arms and sunshine-filled days; sometimes, however, it tosses you into curveballs, and suddenly you find yourself gasping to understand who you are and where in the whole scheme of things you fit. For so long, I had thought that weakness was something to be hidden under the carpet, but I completely neglected to recognize that my weakness back then was not a shortcoming to be mended-it was instead a gate to my inner source of strength.

The Beginning of My Struggle

Weakness fit into my life ever so early. It was not the kind of storm that bursts suddenly above; it was more like fog rolling in, gradually obscuring my view of myself. It all started with little things like failing to meet an expected list, feeling incompetent like my mates, and trying to wrestle with fears I could not even name. Gradually, they grew and took deep roots in my mind, eroding my worth.

One of the bigger challenges was to learn how to drive. I thought it would be easy: almost a rite of passage into adulthood. But after several needless attempts at passing my driving exam, devastation…