Experiences…
I believe that I experience good things in life.
But, do I encounter the bad ones as well? Sure! These ones often make me feel heartbroken, frustrated, confused, and isolated. They typically put a roadblock or two on my path and sometimes force me to change directions.
I question why I have to endure them. Why am I being punished? Why aren’t others going through the same thing as I am? Why do I get it worse than this person or that person? Why does it seem that others have it easier than I do?
As I entered my 20s, I began to understand.
These “bad” experiences are better thought of as challenges.
Like many aspects of life, challenges are temporary. The important lessons to get from them are how we react to them and what they teach us. These experiences, or challenges, do not define our future.
They allow us to see what we currently need to go through in order for us to acknowledge and erase our shadows and fears. Their purpose is to not bring us pain, but rather, to bring us wisdom and strength.
Life is not stagnant. It keeps moving. It brings new challenges and lessons every day to everyone.
Without the challenges we face, we would never catch up with life, and more importantly, we would never discover what we’re truly capable of achieving, personally and professionally.
Without struggles, we wouldn’t learn life lessons that go far beyond textbooks. Lessons that go beyond what our parents teach us, beyond what we see online or on TV.
Life’s lessons are found everywhere – from strangers, places, and as we’ve established, challenges.
I have encountered some of the harshest challenges when I left my comfort zone, but it was during those times that I learned some of the biggest lessons I’ve ever understood in my life thus far. Those were the moments when I faced my darkest shadows and continue to release them as I move even further along in my journey.
Those were the moments I woke up from an illusion I’ve been trapped in and won against the demons that have lurked within my head for so long.
These lessons will never stop. Not when I’m 30, 40, or even 80 years old. And I look forward to discovering more about life and what it can teach me.
I used to drown in self-pity and despair when life took a turn for the worst.
Now, whenever I’d go through something “bad,” the first question I ask myself is “What lesson is this hardship teaching me?”
Whenever I’d go through something “bad,” I do my best to remain level-headed and believe that I can and will overcome it. I understand that I may stumble along the way, but that won’t stop me from being victorious.
Life lessons are just as valuable as everything we appreciate in this life. They may not always come in forms that we expect them to, and some may kick us harder than others, but in the end, they are some of the biggest blessings we will have ever encountered.
And I am eternally grateful for experiencing them.
