Heart Can & Should be Cultivated

     "The only way an individual can be secure in knowing he or she has heart is to have determination, fortitude, perseverance, persistence, stamina, tenacity, and conviction successfully tested. Once beyond this critical test, that person will have self-confidence based on knowing he or she has internal power.
     It is the authors' hypothesis that heart can be cultivated and fortified. ... Developing heart is a gradual process that involves practicing 'going the extra mile' and rehearsing this skill during small, predictable, controlled experiences. Unfortunately, because long-term benefits of cultivating heart have not been clearly understood, many scoff at this practice. As a result, far too many people do not foster the development of 'heart' in themselves or their children. The consequence of this shortcoming is that when the need for heart presents itself, individuals lack an internal toughness that allows them to respond adequately. Preparing one's fighting spirit is vital in the struggle of life, because negative aftermaths can happen to all of us. It is not what happens to us that matters most, however; it is how we respond and how we overcome adversity that defines us."

       Bell CC, Suggs H. Using sports to strengthen resiliency in children. Training heart. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 1998; 7(4): 859-65.

 

Loren Klein   http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/