Copyright © [Surabhi Parashar] [2026]. All Rights Reserved. ¹

“You are stronger than you think.” Most of us have heard these words from a parent, a friend, or perhaps read them in a book. Yet when life feels overwhelming, it is surprisingly easy to forget them.

Today, I am going to share my personal thoughts on finding motivation, inner strength, and resilience. Because when everything feels like it’s falling apart, we need to look inside.

I believe that having faith is the key to navigating difficult situations in life. When we trust ourselves and believe that we will be fine no matter what, nothing can stop us. Whenever I face a difficult situation or am unable to find answers to my problems, I look inside. Deep down somewhere, there is hidden strength.

We can never be fully prepared for what life throws at us, but how we handle those difficult situations and our thought process at those crucial moments is very important. I believe in God, a supreme power or energy that governs the whole world. And depending on where we were born, we have given that supreme power different names.

One of the reasons I find comfort in faith is that many spiritual stories reflect the challenges we face in our own lives. One such story, which my grandmother often told me as a child, is about Hanuman ji, the most beloved and widely worshipped deity in Hinduism.

He is depicted with a monkey face and a powerful human body. He symbolizes strength, devotion, courage, loyalty, and selfless service. Hanuman ji is a central figure in the epic Ramayana. He is the son of Vayu (the wind god) and a devoted follower of Lord Rama.

He possesses supernatural abilities: immense strength, the power to fly, shape-shifting, and boundless energy. But there was a time when he forgot about all his strength, when he did not believe in himself.

This story is from Hanuman ji’s childhood. He was a mischievous, radiant child trying to discover his own power. As a toddler, Hanuman ji saw the rising sun glowing red in the sky and thought it was a mango. With complete innocence, he leapt into the sky to catch it. Hanuman ji had immense supernatural powers, but he was unaware of them.

The other gods got alarmed and tried to stop him. Indra (the king of the gods and heaven) struck Hanuman with his thunderbolt, injuring his jaw. When Vayu, his father, saw this, he withdrew air from the universe in anger. The world began to suffocate. The gods then blessed Hanuman with immense powers to appease Vayu. From this incident, he got the name “Hanuman”, Hanu meaning jaw.

Even this incident did not stop Hanuman from being playful; in fact, he was getting more and more disruptive. With his supernatural strength, he would disturb sages during meditation. The sages, repeatedly disturbed during their prayers and meditation, eventually grew furious. They cursed Hanuman that he would forget all of his powers until he learns restraint, and a wise man will remind him of his powers.

Hanuman remained unaware of his true powers throughout his youth and early adulthood. He grew up strong and capable but humble, disciplined, and unaware of his vast potential.

The “forgetfulness” lasted until the great turning point in the Ramayana: When Rama’s search party stood before the vast ocean that separated them from Lanka, everyone doubted their ability to cross it. Hanuman himself hesitated. It was then that Jambavan (the wise elder bear-king) reminded him of divine birth, his blessings from the gods and his limitless strength.

As Jambavan spoke, Hanuman’s memory returned. His confidence awakened. His body grew in size. His hesitation vanished. He leapt across the ocean without a shred of doubt. And the rest is history.

TL;DR for this story –

• Innocent audacity – Hanuman mistaking the sun for a mango and leaping for it was not arrogance, it was pure, fearless curiosity. Children are naturally valiant.
• Strength Needs Awareness – Hanuman had immense powers, but without awareness, they caused chaos. True strength requires discipline and humility.
• We Often Forget Our Own Power – The “curse” given by sages is symbolic. We are like Hanuman, full of potential, but unaware of it until life (or someone wise) reminds us.
• Ego Must Be Tamed – Hanuman’s childhood mischief represents untamed energy. The sages’ curse was a blessing in disguise; it taught him restraint that shapes greatness.
• Encouragement Matters – When Jambavan reminded Hanuman of who he truly was, everything changed. Sometimes all we need is a true friend.

My favourite part of the story was Hanuman ji’s hidden strength. It was always there. Jambavan’s reminder simply helped him recognize it. This is true for us as well. During difficult times, we often search for solutions outside ourselves, forgetting the resilience we have already built through past struggles, failures, and victories.

Life has a way of making us doubt ourselves. Like Hanuman standing before the ocean, we sometimes focus so much on the distance ahead that we lose sight of the strength within. So, next time you find yourself struggling, unsure of the next step, remember the words we began with: “You are stronger than you think.” 😊

1. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [Surabhi Parashar] and [mindful-echoes.com] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
   _{Copyright protection for computerized literary works applies automatically when a work is originally authored and fixed.} ↩︎