Fortitude has to do with facing pain or adversity courageously through endurance.

Light at the end of the tunnel

When we face difficult or challenging circumstances, we can become discouraged and think, When will this end?  The truth, however, is that nothing lasts forever.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Don’t give up

We endure certain hardships because we know that they won’t always be.  A Chinese philosopher said that the best way to face a seemingly unmovable obstacle that appears like a ‘boulder’ is to do nothing.  Nothing? you ask.  Nothing because by disengaging, you allow time to work on and solve the problem.

Resist futile efforts

Have you ever tried to solve a problem by tackling it aggressively with everything you’ve got only to see that all of your efforts were futile?  Nothing you tried seemed to work and it all ended in frustration.

This happens when we fail to realize that there is a right time for everything and that artificially attempting to manipulate outcomes doesn’t work.

The ‘umph’ factor

When we know that we cannot change a particular situation or fix a particular problem immediately, we need to endure.  We need to, essentially, dig our heels in and wait.

Time plays a big role

Determining when to act versus when to wait is vital.  If you feel that things are flowing, that certain people almost magically appear in your life, and that all the signs pertaining to resolution say ‘go,’ you can circumvent the ‘boulder.’  You can move around it!

Image by Luba Rascheff