So What If Life Slapped you Hard? Get up and Carry On

"God places the heaviest burden on those who can carry its weight." Reggie White

As long as the breath continues in the body, learning and growing continue. Seneca says, “As long as you live, keep learning how to live.” I love travelling and during one of my travels, I met an interesting passenger. He looked very sophisticated and educated. So I asked him, from where have you done your schooling and college? He replied, " I matriculated from Saint Suffering School, went to the College of Frustration Studies and did my higher studies from the “University of Life” " Don't we learn so much from our struggles, provided we take it with the right attitude?

We need to develop a positive attitude towards difficulties and suffering. Arrow can be sent only by pulling it back. So when life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it is going to launch you to your target. My mentor Dr Daisaku Ikeda says, “Surviving a life of hardships and difficulties, of stormy ups and downs is what produces a person of great depth and character. True happiness is also found in such an unshakeable state of life.”

Odds looked at with the right perspective can make us even. I am reminded of a nice joke. Once a baby mosquito took his first flight and excitedly came back to his mother. The mother asked the baby, “So how was your experience.” He said, “Mother, it was great, when I was flying everybody was clapping.” That the audience was clapping to kill the mosquito is not important, but the appreciation is. Even mosquitoes have positive attitude.

It is rightly said, "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals." If all our desires are achieved without enduring suffering, we would not understand the struggles of others and we would lose our compassion and empathy. Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. It is upto us whether we take it as suffering or learning.

I started with learning to teach
Then I was teaching to learn
Now I am just .......learning to learn
I remain a lifelong seeker

Struggle is necessary to polish us into diamonds. Diamond is just another piece of coal that did well under pressure. But is very important to create our own definition of success otherwise we will waste our life matching somebody else’s definition. Remember never worry about the delay of your success compared to others, because construction of a “Palace" takes more time than an ordinary “Building”.

As usual, I will end on a humorous note. It doesn’t matter whether the glass is half full or half empty! just finish it and order another.

I cribbed, 'God you have given me unusual problems' He said,’ I have also given you unusual joys'. I cribbed, 'You have not even given me usual joys, which everyone gets' He said, 'But I have not given you usual problems' I said, 'God I have lost the debate. " 

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Brief Profile 
Dr Amit Nagpal is Chief Inspirational Storyteller at AL Services. He is a Social Media Influencer,  Author, Speaker/Trainer and Coach. To know more, visit www.dramitnagpal.com. (His special interest and expertise lies in inspirational storytelling, anecdotes and visual storytelling)

AL Services offers content development/story writing, consulting, training and other services in the area of brand storytelling. To know more, write to amit@dramitnagpal.com