Fighting Talk: When in hell...

“If you’re going through hell, keep going” 

Winston Churchill

It’s a great clique to turn to Churchill for inspiration, especially when you’re going through some battles. The man certainly knew how to spin a phrase and spur a crowd. Include this to his World War Two credentials and you're always going to be on to a winner. I've almost been avoiding using him in this feature on the very basis that it’s too much of an easy option. Finally, however, I relented.

You may not like Churchill, and his politics. Frankly I’m not much of a fan. I'll spare you the history lesson. But no one can deny that he knew how to push on, for better or worse, when everything, and everyone, stood against him.

This quote encourages me to push on through struggle, so that I can get to the other side. I’m reminded that if you’re going through hell, and you stop, then hell is exactly where you’ll stay. If you ever want to get somewhere better, you have to keep going.

Everybody goes through tough times. Whether that's in your past, present or future. Don't give in to it, because you can beat it. Great people are remembered for what struggles they overcome, not for giving up. 

Fighting Talk: Dignity in Victory

"Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss"

There's an impressive amount of wisdom in this sentence, and it needs little description. In fact, I'm going to keep my contribution short, there's nothing I can write to make the statement more impacting.

I'm going to keep these words in my mind this week. Remember, I spoke of using words like a shield. When I feel under pressure this week, I will remind myself to never give in.

Will you fight this week? And when you gain the upper hand, will you do so with dignity?

Fighting talk: Fighting To Get Back Up

"It's not whether you get knocked down that counts, it's whether you get up"

Over the past few months, I've taken a few hits and I've been knocked down. My depression has been at its worst. I've gone from sickness to sickness and have felt physically broken. I've even had to take the decision to re-sit my final year of university. I effectively buckled under the pressure of being a full time student, a carer and working a part-time job.

Despite everything, I'm fighting to get back up.

I know that it doesn't matter how many times I get knocked down in life. What matters is that I will always choose to get back up and contend to stay on my feet.

A few weeks ago a wise friend reminded me that just because you might be struggling in life, it doesn't mean that you're failing. If you're struggling, then you're still fighting. If you're fighting, then you haven't lost yet.