A professor once held up a glass of water in class and asked, “How heavy is this glass?” 

The answer, of course, wasn’t about the weight itself, it was about how long you hold it. 

A minute feels easy. An hour becomes painful. 

A day feels impossible. 

His point was simple: worry, stress, and burdens get heavier the longer we hold on to them.

That story has always stuck with me. 

And recently, I thought of it in a new way. 

Over the years, I’ve built such a strong foundation in my body that I can hold eight ounces of water with my arm fully extended for over six minutes.

Now, this isn’t a story about muscle. 

It’s a story about strength, the kind that prepares you for what life throws your way. 

Because here’s the truth: life will bring stress, setbacks, and hard moments. 

And if we run from them, delay them, or excuse them away, we only weaken our foundation.

But when we face challenges head-on, when we practice leaning into the discomfort instead of running from it…we grow.

Strength isn’t built in comfort. 

Strength is built in resistance.

And just like holding that glass, the more we practice, the stronger we become not just in body, but in character, in courage, and in life!

That’s how we build the foundation to carry what once felt impossible…and to become the person we were meant to be.