08/11/2025
This has got to be the most POWERFUL tool anyone can have.
Resilience. Anyone can exercise this skill and it is the best way to build willpower. This skill was introduced to me my first year of middle school when I moved to a new town where I knew little to no one. Glendive, MT. Soooooo many hurdles in my life developed during this three year period. This was my test to shape who I am today.
The point is, I was bullied for roughly two and a half years because I was the most myself. I held strong for about two years and practiced extreme resilience. Then, I had found a group of two friends, Jase Grile and Tomas Crista, and they became my best friends in Middle School. I got a taste of acceptance for who I am, then I made the decision to move to Anaconda, where I had to start all over again. Long-story-short, that's when my resilience crumbled and I started developing some rather bad habits.
I moved to Anaconda, MT and my resilience crumbled, and I developed really bad habits. The problem is I brought those bad habits back to Glendive and into my new group of friends. At the same time, our group added one member, JayJay Stotler. These guys became my best friends to this day, which is a big reason why I don't regret a thing I did. From this point, I didn't practice resilience for about another three years. This is when I went into the Montana Youth Challenge Academy after my first semester of my Junior year of High School.
Rather than my uniqueness, it was my commitment to self-discipline and self-development that was attractive to the bully parties. However, there was one key thing that made all the difference. I dug deep into my core and committed my self to be resilient once again. And that's exactly what I did. I became an EXPERT in RESILIENCE. This shaped the person I am today and because of my resilience.
So this is my message to you. Be resilient and never give up. Ask yourself, "will this kill me?" It almost never will. And it may be cliche, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If you made it this far, drop RESIST in the comments!