Backbone and Heart
by Michael Feeley
We need both backbone and heart. They’re not opposites. They’re partners.
Backbone keeps us standing when the work gets hard. It’s the part of us that says “not yet” when we want to quit, that shows up again tomorrow, even after today didn’t go as planned. Backbone is tenacity – that quiet determination that refuses to let circumstances write the final chapter.
Heart reminds us why we’re standing in the first place. It brings compassion to our persistence, kindness to our strength. Heart softens our edges without weakening our resolve. It helps us work with ease rather than force, to care about the people we serve without losing ourselves in the process.
Together, they create something remarkable: the ability to be both determined and gentle, persistent and present, strong and kind.
This matters in everything we do – the work we offer others, the dreams we pursue for ourselves, the challenges we face at 50, 60, 70, and beyond. We don’t have to choose between being tough enough to keep going and being tender enough to enjoy the journey.
We can be tenacious and kind.
We can have backbone and heart.
Thanks – Michael (he, him)
Please share this Daily.
This is also important – Kindness to Self and Others.
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