Everyone has a different definition of strength. Strength may be how much someone can lift in a gym, or how well someone is dealing with a difficult time. The actual standard definition of strength is: "the quality or state of being strong" and "a good or beneficial quality or attribute of a person or thing."

When talking about strength in an everyday sense, to be strong is to show everyone you are okay, and that you are dealing with the latest issues you have going on. Issues can be as small as failing an exam, or as big as a family falling apart. People who think they have no strength are often the strongest people in existence. Strength can be derived from anywhere, friends, family, within, etc. When you have to be your strongest is when someone asks "are you okay?"

Remember, however, it's okay to not be okay.

That may sound cliche and maybe some of you will even stop reading here and say that you don't need to hear that phrase again because it is so boring and overused, or maybe it'll hit home. You would be surprised with how many people don't know when to give themselves a break, until it hurts them in other ways. Strength is pushing through when you feel like the weight of the world is on top of you. It's pushing through that 6 hour work-shift you know you can't afford to miss. It's prioritizing the people in your life and learning when to put yourself first.

Strength is YOU.

Take a second to think about what you are dealing with in your personal life. It may not seem so big to you in comparison to other things, or maybe it is, but do you realize how strong you are for taking it as it comes? For not giving up?

This article is a dedication to those who realize that the word "strength" is a big word. People show their strength in different ways: the simple words of "me too" expressing that that person is ready to acknowledge the fact they were sexually assaulted and not afraid to say it out loud anymore. It's standing up for what you believe in and fighting for what is right. It's finding help if you know you need it.

Different people's problems are not comparable, each problem is unique to the person dealing with it. Someone else's problem is not bigger or "worse" than your own and vice versa. There is no reason to undermine what you are going through because you perceive someone else's issues as bigger than you own.

You are fighting everyday to do what needs to get done, and for that you should always be proud. Individual strength is beautiful. Don't ever think you are not doing the best you can. You'll get through this and everything will be okay.