"That which does not kill us makes us stronger." A famous and powerful statement said by Friedrich Nietzsche, but these words transcend literature and serve moreover as a crossroads encoded into our DNA for every era of civilization. The life which has persisted and prevailed in being hard to kill over time has remained, while that which has not simply ceases to exist now. This may not be something we dwell on often or something one may even consider in a more or less common lifestyle, as it doesn't always seem so relevant to modern living. All the same, such a theme is more than relevant within everyone's time on earth. We don't just desire toughness and fortitude, but we understand that they are required for optimal life and needed for longevity. We value our lives and those of who we care about, so naturally we hope to possess the means to protect and preserve the wellbeing of both. We also understand physically and mentally that if we are hard to kill then we have few threats, and if we have few threats then we have fewer issues to perceive as actual 'problems' in life, but rather as mere obstacles be to endured and overcome. This is not a simple choice, however. Such a state of mind requires framework that is built and reflected upon several times daily, weaved into our worldview and seen in every mirror. To attain this, rather than focusing on the big three (physical, mental, and spiritual) one should instead assess what makes them hard to kill personally, habitually, and influentially. Analyzing these three aspects and discerning what must be changed and chiseled is what will determine how to become one who is not easily put down.
Personally-What comes to mind when you think about yourself being hard to kill? This is an appropriate initiation into carving a self image that is actually valid and not just for show. Start by considering how you view your own person, and what you tend to tell yourself daily. Do your thoughts dwell more on the past, the current, or some fictional future? Each tense has its perks to keep in mind, but fixing your thoughts on one certain time, as we may have all experienced, does not build strength but impedes it, causing distraction, longing, or unnecessary anxiety for how much you feel you must fit in one day. Visualize your place by keeping one eye on your history and the other on your future, allowing both to formulate a present that won't leave you aloof but grounded, aware of what you want and what you can handle. We'd also be wise to confirm goals, and ponder: are those goals actually ours? This is your life, and prioritizing your own agenda will naturally make you more of who you are, not someone else. Remembering to ask ourselves such questions every week or so will reveal more of your character than you realize. These thoughts will start to appear in the middle of your day; at breakfast, at work, at the gym, at the park, in your bed. Filling your head with your own personal growth and reflection will keep at bay any sort of external noise or frequency that our day tends to let leak into our subconscious on its own, coming from our phones, to our peers, to even noises or voices you may just hear when in the world. The extent of being hard to kill is based one what your limitations are. That being said, focus more on your limit rather than a standard or goal of someone else. Why are you concerning yourself with the one running past you while you are on your morning walk? Why does someone else's to-do list matter to you in the slightest? You are an entire world of thoughts and ideas, of dreams and goals, of victories and defeats. Don't let these be so easily discounted when your life is already fragile enough as it is.
Habitually-What are you practicing daily? Apart from coming to terms with how hard to kill you view yourself personally, this is where you build your nerve, where you develop what will be needed when the will and guts you actually have are put to the test. Improving yourself won't happen on accident. You aren't being relentless enough, and you're aware of it. It's helpful to analyze this from the beginning: is waking up earlier rather than later a natural part of your day or something you have to force? There's no doubt becoming a morning person can be challenging, though it's not the challenge you want to focus on but the rush of life you'll feel an hour after the tiredness has faded. These are chemicals in your body and mind that can only be unlocked from forcing a new habit into activation. If becoming one who is hard to kill is something that you strive for, then grab its horns and don't let it be a habit you shy away from! Further, consider meditation, not as a strange or exclusively 'spiritual' practice but as an activity that allows you to slow down for a mere five minutes out of your day to calmly remember what belongs to you, what your breath sounds like, to recall how quiet your mind can be amid so much noise, and to reinforce your thoughts with the direction you choose to align your life, not with what you are hearing and seeing all day. Take the time, then, to perhaps write down these thoughts in your phone, and capture them out of the ether. This is the armor for your whole day, and that armor will keep you guarded from whatever may compromise your physical, mental or emotional fortitude. How much of your day are you spending outside? How often do you cook your own food? Do you make sure to build yourself physically one way or another every day? Mind you this does not always have to be a full workout, as even performing short bodyweight exercises throughout the day will prove more practical than doing nothing. After all, these habits should be organic; do what you feel makes you a stronger version of you, and if such practices do not feel right after a certain amount of time, then find a new area that allows you to struggle, thrive and conquer on your own circumstance. If you are hard to kill it's because you are well-versed and adapted to what you have been made from, so be aware that your durability is always best derived from your own unique pain, triumph, and consistency.
Influentially-Who or what do you immediately think of when your consider one that is hard to kill? In maintaining our strength-building habits, we'll likely need some sort of external motivation to keep us consistent. This influence can come from a broad range, from fictional characters to family members to celebrities to perhaps historical figures, any of these can be a sort of anchor that we're able to use for reference and motivation when in need of strength and mental fortitude. Thinking 'what would they do' or 'how would they handle this' is a reaction all have had since the beginning, and is something that naturally all of us will result to when at the end of our rope. We don't need to feel like we're tough enough to handle every situation on our own with zero influence, when in fact it's this prideful approach to problems that would leave us weaker in the long run. Instead, if we keep such examples of those we aspire to be like in the back of our minds at all times, then we will always have an idea to size up to, a standard for what we know we can emulate and hopefully embody some similarity of before we pass. Who do you wish to emulate? Your ideal example of one who is hard to kill will gradually shape the person you wish to become, so of course we want to be wise in choosing a role model that will make us an example for those watching our progress and path as we garner strength and influence. Whether we like it or not, we are all examples for each other in how to think, speak, and act, and we all reflect some sort of idea or attitude on our respective environments. Our actions and words now reflect for those nearby and those to come later, so it couldn't be more crucial that we design a form, demeanor, and personality that will assist others in finding a path that makes them hard to kill.
For many it's simply a matter of pulling the trigger. We know what we have to do, and we know what we have to go undergo to become this reinforced version of ourselves; all it takes putting yourself into motion. Choose to be uncomfortable, and choose it with your teeth bared and a firm gaze. There's no doubt that should we choose to remain timid, tame, and obedient, then we should choose to have never existed at all. Our time is passing by one day at a time, and we can no longer afford to be hesitant. We need to realize that everything is not going to be ok. We need to come to terms that there will be pain and trial, and only after having endured that, this is where we'll feel the sun at its warmest. Harbor fear not of discomfort but of time and death. How can you be hard to kill if you aren't concerned with the very thing that keeps us full of life? Mindfully, not an unhealthy fear of these things, but rather a rational acceptance that we'd be wise to keep in the background of our conscious whenever we feel our nerve slipping or our resolve weakening. For fifty years from now, your memory will serve as someone that is either hard to remember, or someone that is hard to kill. Look in the face of what's threatening you now and laugh at it, and then you will know what side of history you're meant to be on.
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