Bring out your stubbornness

Just when you thought you had fixed it all. That you had ironed out the major problems and inhibitions, they stem out their even uglier side. Their thorny side. That’s what happens with recurrent habits sometime. You kick them off so hard, when they return they come back a little thorny and ugly. I guess just to reclaim their home, their territory. They re-enter whilst we can’t help it during a down time when we’re sloppy. But it is really up to us whether we allow them to take over our lives again. That’s a time when we need to bring out our thick skin. The most ideal time to be stubborn.

Some of my life sapping habits are hard to die, I'm sure most people would relate. These habits keep making an unceremonious return because they're stubborn. But then again, they are stubborn because as people, we’re very stubborn ourselves. At least most people are. I thought to myself, since I don’t want to get back to a life of unproductive habits that I kicked, I started taking pride in my stubbornness. I’m known for being extremely stubborn sometimes. And on this, I thought then why not be stubborn against my bad habits and inhibitions. With my fears. With my sticking to my goals, to my plans.

As I was traveling back home, I thought quite a bit about the movie 300, ­which is based on the legend of the erstwhile Spartan king Leonardis and 300 of his bodyguards – Spartans who considered themselves (along with their brothers at home) as ‘the finest soldiers ever. Soldiers who descended from Hercules himself’. And I admire the courage and valor demonstrated in that, especially in the source graphic novel, 300 by Frank Miller. Leonardis is so stubborn he has balls to stage up and stand against an army of a million driven by a ruthless power-hungry emperor, Xerxes. And without doubt, he could have simply lost with shame had he not been as stubborn in attitude as he had been. And with his stubbornness, he taught the large army a thing or two about standing your own.

The morale, for me at least, is that amidst the consistent struggles to live a life of greatness, there’re times when I just got to call upon my stubbornness to help me stand my ground until my cause is achieved.

When the tough really gets going with your goals and projects, remember to stick it out and not only with faith, but be stubborn at it. Stubborn to even put a bull to shame. And whilst at it, make sure your skin comes out as thick as the rhino's. Stubborn can help you tip over to the other side. Just a toughen-up boost to lift you until your wings catch some wind.

Be stubborn especially when your good and worthy cause is threatened. You started it, be stubborn enough to push until you see it to the end. For at the end, the beauty of achievement awaits you patiently.

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