Tough Love Never Dies

First love never dies. Tough love doesn't either. Everyday I give thanks for the tough love I received from my parents and teachers, and the tough love I've been giving to myself every step of the way ever since. I am thankful for every tough lesson I received in the past and the courage to nurture a tough soul in the present.

I'm not a romantic person, I admit. I don't perceive love as soft-spoken, whispering and tender. I perceive love as open, dedicated, truthful and free. It gives us a clear window to see the world in a true and genuine way. It empowers us to dedicate our best efforts for the best interest of the world, our family and ourselves. It changes us to be truthful to any and all, including ourselves. Above all, love frees us from any attachment to worldly comfort and tenderness, often being mistaken as the true and genuine love.

I owe my parents and teachers the toughness that I possess today. I describe myself as a tough person, while it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm rude or uncaring. I might be firm in my relationships with others and tough in achieving my goals, which might look rude and uncaring on the surface. This is understandable. Not many people understand the toughness of love and its graceful features.

Along the way, I notice that people who succeed (with their own efforts) are tough. They are among the toughest, whose skin is as thick as the Great Wall of China and heart as "black" as Abraham Lincoln's. Abe Lincoln was known for his strong will in fighting for what he believed to be justice. His "thick face and black heart" took him to the top of world leadership in his time for being nobody else than himself.

In everyday life, we often feel that "thickskin-ness" and "blackheart-ness" shouldn't be learnt. Thus, many parents teach their children to be a shameful person and be sensitive. That's basically a very good philosophy, but those wouldn't make a person stronger, in my humble opinion.

I believe in "thickskin-ness" and "blackheart-ness" in terms of Abe Lincoln's. Richard Kiyosaki, a multimillionaire from the State of Hawaii whose bestseller book Rich Dad, Poor Dad received much applause, gave an example of his early lesson in keeping a thick skin to break his own fear of salesmanship, the first step to financial empowerment. This, he acknowledges, is one of the most important lessons he has ever learnt. Without defeating his own fear as a young new Xerox salesman at that time, he wouldn't have been able to become who he is today.

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