“I don’t know if I can handle this again.”

With a bloodied face and tired soul, I muttered these words to myself.

It had been a while since I was abused by the hands of men. But at this moment, my pain and my physical wounds weren’t coming from someone abusing me, rather they were coming because I had chosen to fight.

After spending years of living in extreme defeat in what seemed like every area of my life, as an outlet to learn some self-control (and how to protect myself), I devoted myself to an intense, disciplined martial art called Taekwondo.

On one particular day, I was competing in a tournament, sparring against some of the best talent in the country.

I was assigned to a sparring match against a spirited young woman, who, I admit, initially got the best of me.

But as I lay on the mat and tried to regain my strength and my composure, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the feeling that I had a decision to make.

I could either walk away from months of training, or, I could risk failure, rise, and fight again.

My opponent stood in the center of the ring, waiting for me to indicate my next move. I made a decision that day that wasn’t about martial arts, it was about a way of thinking that would radically change my future.

I crossed the line, stepped back into the ring, and decided to face my opposition head-on.

On that day, I chose to be resilient. And it was one of the greatest decisions I ever made.

In fact, I believe it was the turning point for setting my life up for success.

The concept of resilience is as old as mankind. There are count-less stories woven throughout history of people who didn’t back down, even when the odds were against them.

In my case, and within the intensity of my life story, resilience was something that I didn’t quite know how to grasp.

Resilience isnt’t just about willpower, and it definitely isnt’t all about being stronger or tougher (physically or emotionally) than someone else.

It’s about a God-inspired capacity to not accept defeat, setbacks or circumstances as the final answer for your life.

And it’s your key to lasting success.

(Blog excerpts taken from my book I Am Resilient, Chapter 1, available on Amazon.com)