A Motto to Live By

My husband went to an all boys boarding school back in the 80’s. This was not particularly common at that time for most midwestern kids. His experience there, in many ways, shaped the person he is today. He speaks so fondly and with such reverence for that time in his life, and the powerful impact those years had in helping him understand himself and the world. One evening he was sharing a story with me about his school, and he reminded me of his school’s motto: Aspirando et perseverando : Aspire to Persevere. He had mentioned it before, but it struck me in that moment as a most powerful statement.

What do you do when you know that something is difficult and as much as you want to stop, you don’t? I’m not talking about the kind of “grit” that gets thrown about as some sort of badass, crushing it, put your head down and GO. Not at the expense of yourself. I mean the days when you get up and your head is already aching, your mind is spinning with the items on your “to do” list, and your teeth are clenched at the stress of life. But for a moment, maybe the briefest of moments, you feel a sense of gratitude for being alive and you think to yourself, “I can do this. Whatever it is, I can do this.” It’s an inner resilience to show up for yourself with deep love and reverence.

The daily perseverance of life. The way of living by which you decide moment by moment to continue to learn, to grow and to evolve. To live with the integrity of being more aligned with the power of YOU. The you that came into this world with everything you need to make your life feel more joyful and meaningful, even in the midst of difficulty.

To persevere when what you want to do is give up and curl up in a ball and cry. To show up for yourself because you love yourself so much that there is no other option than to do the thing (whatever the thing might be). Little things and big things; persevering in the commitment to yourself in order to learn and discern.

We spend so much time aspiring, especially in our culture, but what are we aspiring to? Or for? Money? A certain body shape? A specific job, number of followers on our social media, a partner, a pose? There is nothing inherently wrong with aspiring. The motto simply states, “Aspire to persevere.” The aspiration isn’t for a thing, a specific goal or contingency to be met. The aspiration is to persevere no matter what. The wins, the losses, the frustrations and joys, the mission is to have the aspiration to stay the course and stay true to yourself. To become your own best leader and not give up on yourself. Try this motto for a bit and see if something shifts in your devotion to showing up for yourself in ways that remind you how resilient and powerful you truly are.