Like most women in the Sixty and Me community, there have been times in my life when I have felt completely overwhelmed. I have also faced situations that I could have never predicted – some positive and some downright scary!

Looking back, each of these events changed me in one or more important ways. I am definitely a better woman because of the challenges that I have experienced. Do you feel the same?

You Are Stronger Than You Think

I’ve always been a bit of a worrier. Not so long ago, if you asked me how I would respond to a dangerous situation, I would have told you that I would probably freeze or panic. Well, recently, I had an event happen to me that made me rethink my own strength. As a result of this event, I suspect that all of us are secretly much stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

I’m probably the last person that you would expect would be able to save someone’s life. I have no medical training. I’m not athletic. Truth be told, I’m even a little afraid of blood. But, as it happened, I did save someone’s life a few months ago… and the event changed my perspective entirely. Here’s what happened.

I was walking in Zurich, when an elderly woman walked in front of a moving tram. In slow motion, I yelled and she stepped back slightly. Her movement wasn’t enough to avoid being hit entirely, but, it converted a direct hit into a “glancing blow.” I then started delegating tasks to the strangers around me, asking one person to call an ambulance, while I tried to keep her calm.

Within a couple of minutes, a police officer arrived and took her to the hospital. I don’t know for sure, but, it seemed like she was going to be ok.  I’m not telling this story out of any need for praise. What I did was what most of us would do in a similar situation. I’m simply saying that we are all stronger than we think we are.

This reminds me of a quote that I have always appreciated. It is “You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.” By the way, I’m not sure who first said this, but, if you have any ideas, please put them in the comments.

This quote gets to the heart of what it means to build character. So many women in the community have faced situations that they never would have thought they could handle. Many of these situations were probably far more dramatic than the one that I gave in this article.

Some women have lost a loved one. Others have gone through a major financial crisis. Some women have had the opportunity to save someone in a “dramatic” way. Others simply make the world a better place through small acts of kindness, repeated often.

Listening to your stories, I am in awe of your strength. Women over 60 are survivors. We have lived through 6 fascinating decades. During this time, we have become resilient, compassionate women. Now, as we reach our 60s and 70s, let’s never fall into the trap of thinking that we are weak. We are much stronger than we imagine!

Have you ever faced a situation that you thought you couldn’t possibly handle, only to find out that you were stronger than you thought? If you feel comfortable, please share your story so that we can learn from each other. Please join the conversation and “like” and share this article to keep the discussion going!