When you’re going through a tough time it’s very easy to start pitying yourself. You ask yourself questions like “why me?” (as if you wished your hardships on the person standing next to you). I’ve caught myself doing this a number of times in the past couple years. But thinking this way doesn’t help. Thinking this way doesn’t get you anywhere. When you stub your toe you don’t fall and stay on the floor all day long. You curse. You shake it off. And go about your day. The issue of dealing with the hardships in your life is something like that awful metaphor with one major difference. Sure, you can shake off your problems. But you can also accept them as a lesson. Learn from them. Become stronger from them. Imagine if you never shed a tear. Never went through any type of hardship and got everything you wanted in the snap of a finger. Sounds great doesn’t it? I bet it does but now think back on all the times you worked really hard to achieve something and overcame all the obstacles to come to your desired outcome. That feeling of accomplishment is a high. Now think of all the lessons you learned after you shed those tears. Some of them were worth it weren’t they? They helped make you a skillful sailor.
(Picture taken at my place of work)
Daniel Steez 