As I prepare for an upcoming workshop with a colleague of mine on the subject of strength, I am reflecting on the broad nature of strength and the many ways it permeates our everyday lives. Something I have noticed time and time again is our capacity to view others as strong in ways we often cannot apply to ourselves.

One of the ways I have seen this play out is admiring others for their strength in vulnerability, yet perceiving the idea of such vulnerability as weakness in ourselves. Often this comes from a fear of how others will react to our vulnerability.

One way we can cultivate inner strength in our lives is to be authentic and vulnerable with intention.

1. Check in with your body. When we face challenges, our minds can get hijacked. If we can quiet the mind and tap into what is happening in our body, we can give ourselves space to discover what we really need to best support ourselves.

2. Know your audience. Take the time to consider who has the capacity to handle your situation at this particular time, who can offer the kind of support that would best bolster you. Not everyone is ready nor capable of being a go-to for our personal challenges when they arise.

3. Identify the right person for the job. Determine which person will be best at supporting which aspect of your situation. For instance, one person may be a great listener while another is a great doer. Set yourself and your supporters up for success by identifying who might be best at what.

4. Learn from your vulnerability. When we open ourselves up, we make room for new insight. While vulnerability can be daunting, if we can create intention around it and adjust our mindset to view the discomfort as an opportunity to gain useful knowledge about ourselves and others, we begin cultivating resilience and inner strength that will serve us in the future.