When we experience challenges and hardships, we tend to lose sight of all that we have already survived. In fact, we have survived 100% of all the struggles we have faced. Every time life knocked us down, we got back up. The chances of you surviving your current situation are great – even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.
You see, it isn’t our circumstances that define us. It is our response to it. The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. How you choose to respond to whatever life throws at you is what matters.
It is human nature to want to avoid adversity and difficult times. But the truth is, our strength and resiliency grows when we overcome the things we thought we couldn’t. And it is only in those times of darkness can we become our own light.
For me, darkness as become an ally. When I am going through challenging times, I know there is something I need to learn. These hurdles in front of me aren’t there to stop me. They are there to push me out of my comfort zone and set me free. They are there to force me to level up for the next chapter of my life. Even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment (and it often doesn’t), there is a reason and purpose for my trials and tribulations. What it is happening in my life isn’t happening to me. It is happening for me.
Darkness and adversity have a way of showing us what is really important. It provides clarity that we wouldn’t get during our good times. And while these times can create emotional chaos for us, that chaos can catapult us in the direction we want to go.
In a previous post, I talked about being at rock bottom and the invaluable things I learned about myself. Here is an abbreviated list:
- I became grateful for everything and everyone around me
- I took more creative risks than I had before
- I discovered who my real friends were
- I renewed my feelings of self-worth and purpose
- I was honest with myself about how I have contributed to my own suffering
- I decided to take complete responsibility, accountability, and ownership of my life
- I discovered just how resourceful I was
- I learned how to respond rather than react to things around me
- I understood that sometimes we have to completely fall apart so we can become better versions of ourselves
You can read the full post here. One of the things that I find helpful when I am really struggling with hard times, is to take a few minutes and just focus on my breathing. Be still and silent and just focus on breathing. Remind yourself that what is happening right now is just temporary. You aren’t always going to feel this way and it isn’t going to break you. You’ve come this far to only come this far.
