“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.” - Epicurus
Everyone who has ever lived has had obstacles to overcome, problems to solve, and difficulties to endure. This is part of life, an ever-present, constant fact of it. Some people choose to avoid problems in life, not deal with them directly and thus, the difficulties may begin to fester, to bubble up from the depths to overwhelm an individual no matter how resilient and strong. The truth is, the problems that life presents to us are actually the source of our own self-discovery and personal triumph. You have to examine the problems as they arise and inquire into what it means for your life, how it applies to your own unique situation. It can teach you a lot about yourself. It can instruct you on where you need to improve and help to build your character and personality up. Every person’s life is unique, like a snowflake or fingerprint, and thus the problems that life presents to us will also depend on the individual. Some people seem to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth and have great advantages, but even they will have their own unique problems to overcome.
People living in First World nations such as North America, generally have it pretty well off compared to some places in the world. We should take that into account when considering our own individual problems. We are pretty lucky from that perspective. We have freedom: economic, political, social and personal. We don’t have to worry about a fascist government invading our homes and killing us and our family members. We don’t have to worry about being shipped off to a concentration camp because of our religious background as millions did in the past century. Still, problems will arise in our lives as a given rule of the universe.
I was lucky to be born into a loving family, free of any kind of abuse and lack of want growing up. Still, I had my share of problems. At one time in my life I was extremely shy and socially anxious. This personality trait I considered a problem because it effected my day-to-day interactions and happiness. But, as I said, this problem was actually a gift because it presented me with an area of my life where I needed to improve and work on. For many years, I didn’t face it and ignored this weakness. Gradually, I started to attain a level of mastery over myself and my flaws by a method of facing them head-on. This was done through reading, social exposure and simply growing up. It’s also helpful to have a supportive family and social network, but not everyone has this. Through self-inquiry and working hard on myself, I became less shy, less socially-anxious and more outgoing and personable.
When thinking about life’s challenges and problems it is useful to remember the serenity prayer. It is as follows:
“God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.”
Whether you believe in God or not is irrelevant. This prayer is useful no matter what.
We need to accept things we cannot change because without this acceptance we will be constantly frustrated.
We need to accept things we cannot change because without this acceptance we will be constantly frustrated.
We need to change what is necessary to change, because with that change stems happiness and fulfillment.
Finally, we need to know the difference between what can be changed and what cannot. This requires wisdom. Wisdom comes from working on ourselves, constantly improving, and gaining life experience via simply living our lives with conviction and bravery.
We cannot change things like who are parents are, the situation we are born into, the country we are born in or our DNA. We can however attempt to change things like our careers, education level, relationships, and economic situations to name a few.
We are living in one of the most exciting times in all of history. Our possibilities are endless. We have the world at our fingertips. The internet gives us access to information at an unprecedented level. We can learn new languages, read empowering material, and truly revolutionize our lives.
Our problems are our gifts. They are the source of self-discovery and empowerment. Delve deeply into your personal difficulties. You will unleash a torrent of excellence and greatness. You have to face your problems head-on, but it is not easy, especially at first. You will meet with resistance as you establish new habits and put an end to old, disempowering ones.
Suffering leads to glory.
You will never reach perfection in life, that is impossible, or at least fleeting when it is attained. What is certain is that, as you strive to improve and overcome your problems, life will get more enjoyable and satisfying. You will reach an entirely new level of freedom.
