Noah’s Notes: Strength and Weakness

Character isn’t how we live the life we intend but how we live the life destiny intends. We’re all hurting.

If that’s tough news, tough. It’s also reality, which can be a great form of therapy. So, however you think you got to this place in your life or whoever you think got you here, it doesn’t really matter. Whether you’re suffering from the need to please, the blame game or simply sitting there wearing a feeling-sorry-for-yourself party hat at your own pity party, it’s time you knew the party is over.

What’s hurting you is where your work begins. You’re not expected to finish the work, but neither are you excused from it. It’s time to get busy.

Time is an orchard. Every moment is ripe with opportunity. Some day will never come. You matter today. You are gifted because life is a gift. Know that. Act on it, open your gift—open yourself to the person you might yet become. The time is not “now or never,” but now is never again.

In order to turn your life into a work of art, you have to hang in there. A trying time is not the time to quit trying. Strength is not the absence of weakness but how we wrestle with our weaknesses.


Who is Noah benShea?

Noah benSheaOne of North America’s most respected and beloved poet-philosophers, Noah benShea is an internationally bestselling author of 23 books, including the famed Jacob the Baker series. His inspirational thoughts have appeared on more than 30 million Starbucks coffee cups. His weekly columns, nominated for a Pulitzer Prize,have been published by the New York Times Regional Network for over five years. In addition to his many accomplishments, he serves as the National Philosopher for Foundations Recovery Network and The Oaks at La Paloma Treatment Center.

(Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved)

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