I first heard this quote from an old friend....

I don't know the source of this quote, or who said it first.

But I believe it's true....

"What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...."

Life is built on challenges. By taking up those challenges we grow and improve ourselves.

In fact, having someone OPPOSE you can SOMETIMES be a positive thing. For some people, it can be the impetus which spurs them on to achieve.

Having someone oppose you can evoke two ancient responses....

Fight or Flight.

It is deeply ingrained into our biology.... It's the ancient human response to danger since time immemorial....

Back in prehistoric times, a group of early humans accidentally stumbled across a woolly mammoth.

The mammoth could easily kill any one of them with a thrust of one of its sharp tusks. Fear rippled through the group of these early humans....

Their pupils dilated, they began to sweat, and their muscles became tense....

There were two responses built into their system.

Fight, or flight.

An instant decision had to be made -- stay and fight, or run away.

This ancient response is still built into our biological systems.

I've always had the tendency to stay and fight -- sometimes stupidly, I must admit.... But hey, that's me!

And that's how someone opposing you can make you stronger. Someone opposing you is like a threat. It triggers the fight or flight response.

Without that threat, it might be too tempting to lazily sit and watch TV and watch life pass you by.

But when someone opposes and threatens you, it FORCES a response. Fight or flight, and an instant decision.

And for those who stay and fight, they will probably learn from the experience.....

If it doesn't kill you, it will make you stronger....

So if someone opposes you, remember....

It could be time for you to stay and fight that mammoth!

- Dien