“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. Don’t give up.” – Robert Tew
Struggle is good. Struggle forces you to acquire new skills. Struggle forces you to be uncomfortable. Struggle provides an opportunity of accelerated growth should you chose to embrace it.
Those that resist struggle, end up on a never ending quest searching for the magical unicorn of the quick way to happiness or success. They end up always thinking the grass is always greener on the other side, always to find out it is not. They often end up playing the victim of their circumstance, thus never changing, never growing and doomed to repeat the cycle.
Embracing your struggles as opportunities is one of the biggest secrets to life. See your struggles through and believe that if you have been put in the current situation, it was not by mistake, but on purpose as a gift to you.
10 years ago this last month, I was making $9.43 an hour as a college graduate. I felt lost, confused, scared about my future, and definitely struggling financially, mentality, and emotionally. What I did not know at a young age was that I needed to embrace this time of struggle to prepare me for my future. Luckily I made the decision to take control, I just felt like no one was going to come help me, so I might as well stop bitching and help myself. I started reading more, I started asking better questions at work, I sought out mentor’s who were in positions I wanted to be in, I owned my situation and decided to be in the driver seat of my life. As I started to acquire new skills, new connections and new confidence, new doors of opportunity started to open, and open quickly.
Looking back, I know if I would have had the mentality of “Why Me?” Nothing would have changed. I would still be in the exact same position, or at a minimum just a little further along.
Now my life is full of blessings, way more full than I could have ever imagined possible 10 years ago…and I know I am still just starting to tap into my potential. One of the HUGE benefits to the story I referenced above is, now when I face something challenging in my life, I have experiences of struggle that I went through. I sought them through until I succeeded. Now I have the confidence and self belief that I can get through what is in front of me, because of what I have been through. For example, two years ago, I decided to take a new opportunity at work. It required me to take a six figure pay cut, move across the country with my wife, two small boys, and work in a field that I never had worked in before. Talk about being nervous!! But I believed that this was the right step forward, although at first it would be 2 steps backward. I knew because of the struggles I had faced and overcome in my past, that those success stories would give me the confidence that I would need conquer this new challenge in front of me. And guess what? It was not easy. There was pain, there was doubt, there was struggle, but every step of the way I just kept coming back to the fact I have been through worse and came out on top, that this was an opportunity for me to grow and make a better life for myself and my family. End result, I was a Top National producer as a Rookie in my new role, and since have been promoted. I embraced my struggle, owned it, and controlled what I could control.
So, I encourage you, when you encounter struggles, periods of hardship, embrace them, own them, and get in the driver seat of your life.
“Life does not happen to you, Life Happens for you.” – Tony Robbins
