"When the going gets tough, the tough get going." When things get hard, you have to keep pushing forward, otherwise you aren't tough enough. At least that's what they say, right?

Well, that might be what they say, but I don't think that's necessarily the point we should be trying to get across. When the going gets tough, I don't think it's too bad of an idea to take a step back, reevaluate the situation, and if need be, take some time to yourself before you throw yourself back into the midst of those "tough goings."

Don't get me wrong though, there is nothing going, even when things are tough. In fact, it's admirable. It's good, it's tough and it's worth noting. If you can, if you feel like you can come back from something or stay on top even when things are rough, then keep going. It shows how strong you are. It shows are much you can bounce back from hardship, and if anything, keeping your head and keeping on your feet and moving forward when things get rough shows how resilient you really are.

However, taking a step back when things get tough, doesn't show that you are any less capable of handling struggles than anyone else. In fact, if you take a step back when troubles come up on you, it shows how strong you are just the same. By that, I mean that it takes a strong, confident and tough person to look at themselves, and say, "I need to take a step back" or "I need to take a break."

It takes a strong person to look at their problems, look at the increasingly rough road they are traveling on and think that it might be better to stop than push forward. It might be better to be happy than to show their strength in pushing ahead into a situation that is altogether more than they should have to handle. Or really, more than they want to handle, more than they need to handle, or in any case, a situation or path that is simply too much.

There is nothing wrong with taking a step back. There is nothing wrong with pushing forward if you think you can, and if you think that's what you should do.

Either way, when the going gets tough, yes, the tough can get going. Or, the tough can stop pushing forward, and the tough can do something else.

I say this because, when it comes down to you, how tough you are isn't something to be defined by how much you can or cannot handle in a certain situation. In fact, you're tough no matter how much you can handle. You're tough as long as you're trying, and more importantly, as long as you are doing what is best for you.

When the going gets tough, you decide whether or not to keep going, knowing full and well that no matter what you decide, you are still going to be just as strong, and just as tough, as you were before.