Strength. Growth. Determination. Resilience.

Four words: Strength, Growth, Determination, and Resilience.

1. Strength [streNG(k)TH]: (n) The capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or pressure; In the midst of adversity, I found my true strength.
2. Growth [ɡrōTH]: (n) A stage or condition in increasing, developing, or maturing. Life is about evolution; Never get too comfortable. The day we become complacent; we begin to deteriorate (whether that be mentally or physically).
3. Determination [de·ter·mi·na·tion]: (n) A quality that makes you continue trying to do or achieve something that is difficult; Behind every successful person there is failure. They didn’t let that failure deter them, they tried again, again, and again. Until they finally won.
4. Resilience [re·sil·ience]: (n) The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness; It’s not always about you fell down, it’s how you recover that matters.

I chose those four words because over the 26 years of my life, that’s what got me through when I felt like I had nothing else. Well that, and God of course. For those of you who wonder how I made it … that’s how. We all have our days when we feel like everything is falling apart. Ask me how I know? Well I’ve probably lived it.

Life can be tough, but there comes a time when we must firmly believe that the reward is greater than those hard places. Believe me, I’m still trying to keep hope alive. But, that’s exactly what you have to do … keep … hope … alive. If you have nothing else, have hope for a better future. There’s so much power in words and positive thoughts! Your worst days are behind you and your best days are in front of you. “Period.”

If life was easy, everyone would do it right? There would be no negatives. No suicides, no divorces, no tears, no mental breakdowns, and no failures. But, unfortunately, those things happen.

However, if you’re still here and reading this, there’s a place in this world for you. A place that’s perfectly imperfect. With all your mess, all your sadness, all your disappointments, all your mistakes, and all your failures. There’s still a place for you. Someone needs your story and they need you to tell it, just like you’ve lived it.

Trust me, you’ll hear way more about my story over time.

Your heavy-hearted days make you strong, your experiences make you grow, your dreams and goals make you determined, and your failures and hardships make you resilient.

Welcome to the Cole Connection.