Hardship

“A happy life exists not in the absence of hardships, but in the mastery of them.” – Helen Keller

What better feeling than facing a challenge and overcoming it? If you don’t know the taste of defeat, how much can you really enjoy victory? Of course, I’d rather win than lose, but it’s because I’ve lost before that winning means so much. When Michael Jordan finally defeated the Pistons, after years of them beating him, do you think that meant a lot more than winning any other playoff series?

Do not avoid facing challenges. Don’t run away from them. Often, they are what you need to do the most. And even if you do not accomplish everything you set out to do, it will bring you more happiness knowing that you tried to do something about it rather than wondering “what if…”

Are you teaching yourself to be resilient?

When life doesn’t go as planned (and it hardly ever does), roll with the punches. Build your resilience. Don’t quit when things get tough. That is when you need to stick it out. Adapt and overcome. If you succeed and still want to quit, do it then, but not before. Otherwise you will train yourself to become a quitter.