At time, life sucks. We could end this article right here and everyone older than 3 would agree. Unfortunately, trials and tribulations encapsulate the human condition. You can’t escape them even if you wanted. Are we trying to get you depressed right before the weekend? No. The real question you should be asking is, “If hard times hit everyone, why do some people seem to be doing better than others?”. The truth is, some people have less troubles in life than others, and there's a reason why.
Maybe you have looked at a wealthy individual and wished you could be like them, especially without any struggles or fears. However, have you ever considered they might have had the same problems as you? Becoming wealthy or successful doesn’t come easy. In fact, those who got there had even MORE struggles than you could imagine. What makes them different? They persevered and took responsibility.
Unfortunately, today’s world raises kids to not take risks nor responsibility for failure if they do. Every child is given a trophy to protect their feelings. Teachers are challenged at every turn when offspring receive discipline. Parents barely allow their children to get hurt, own a job, or fail at a project. Eventually, you get a generation or two of kids coming out of college with no experience or gumption.
It wasn’t always like this. In fact, young teens used to be EXPECTED to take responsibility. The life of Davy Crockett is a good example. At 12 years-old, he worked to pay off his family’s debts. At age 16, he became major General of the Tennessee Militia. It's hard to imagine any teen having the discipline and maturity to do that today. Simply put, the younger generation in soft compared to rugged pioneers of our forefathers.
How did this weakening of humanity happen? There is a saying that goes as follows:
“Tough men produce good times. Good times produce weak men. Weak men produce hard times. Hard times produce tough men.”
We simply avoided struggles, and frankly in today’s modern life, it is all too easy to do so. That is why struggles are not a bad thing nor something to avoid. In fact, we should jump at the chance to take on more challenges even if it means failing because the more you attempt, the more you learn. Our ancestors understood this, and often, they had no choice but to make an attempt or be killed. Today, you MUST go out of your way to produce challenges in your life. If you don’t, it will affect not only you but future generations as well.
Everyone has struggles in this life. The only difference between the strong and the weak is embracing the challenge. Sure, at times life sucks. But maybe those are the very opportunities for you to take ownership of making it better.
