The most valuable experiences are often the most difficult
experiences. The biggest challenges bring out the best in you, and compel you
to make your best even better.
Difficult situations are not much fun. Yet by working your
way through them, you create great strength and value.
Even when your hard work is not fully appreciated or
immediately rewarded, it still brings important value to your life. The
experience of dealing with challenge can produce a lifetime of beneficial
dividends.
When you know you have done it in the past, you also know
you can do it again. That is the essence of true confidence.
The difficult experiences give you the opportunity to
practice persistence. And persistence is a quality that is always in demand.
Though your efforts may not pay off immediately, they will
pay off. Persist, and know that you are growing stronger and stronger.
-Ralph Marston
This quote by Ralph Marston holds true for me everyday and I try to implement the perspective he suggests to aspects in my life that I find myself resisting. It's easy to get caught up in the feelings of discomfort, wanting to check out, having a case of the "fuck-its", exude frustration, anger, resentment, wishing for external factors to change......BUT choosing to respond in a different way makes the situation and burden lighter.
Everyone has been through a difficult situation, and most of the time it is only in hindsight, often in 20/20 vision, that we are grateful for the experience that initially pissed us off! During my time in LA, I was unemployed for a year and despite the multiple interview rejections and daily feelings and thoughts of unworthiness due to not getting any offers, I was able to seek out recreational activities that ignited my passions. This reprieve allowed me to practice yoga on a daily basis and heightened my spiritual practice, I had the ability to meet friends at any hour which strengthened my friendships, learn and practice patience, and know that I was taken care of by the Universe.
All of these realizations happened only in hindsight, but because I went through that difficult period and my character was tested, I know now that whatever I am dealing with at the moment is part of a bigger plan and even though I may not understand the reasons, I just have to surrender, trust and accept.
