There is a natural ebb and flow in life, or ups and downs. Sometimes those ups and downs are more level and other times, they can be mountain peaks and valleys. There have been times when I have literally had nothing – including a place to live. There have also been times when I have felt like I had everything – nice cars, a nice home, ability to travel for months at a time with plenty of money saved up.
You learn so much more about yourself when you have nothing. This is the place where you discover who you really are and what you are made of. You ask yourself if you are willing to do the work to get to where you want to be? Are you willing to discipline yourself? Are you willing to forgo the things that you might want now and be patient and earn it? Are you willing to get up every day and do what needs to be done to reach your goals even when you don’t feel like it? Are you willing to put in the time and effort that is needed before you start to see the results that you want?
When you feel like you have everything you could want, how do you treat others? Are you kind or do you have an attitude of entitlement? How do you treat people who can’t do anything for you? Are you willing to pay it forward with zero expectation from someone else, and help them because you are in a position to do so and everyone needs help every now and again?
Both our peaks and valleys define us. These extremes test us and reveal who we really are…Who are you when you have nothing? Who are you when you have everything?
