Outliving Tough Time

“Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” — Robert H. Schuller

No one has had it all smooth in life. We can’t point out one single person that went from cradle to grave without going through difficulties. Even the most successful people who lived went through hell. Well, the beauty is that they ‘went through’ hell; they didn’t stay there.

Failure, bankruptcy, divorce, losing a loved one, harassment, violation, being defrauded, these things hit people, sometimes, more than one of these at a time. It can get really difficult and messy. There’s no need to employ an euphemism for it. It can be really messy. Many smiles are fake. People go through so much difficulties. Sometimes, we might want to throw in the towel. We might want to give up and throw our hands up in silent resignation when faced with difficulties. It’s often not easy to take the punches.

However, these times make you. Your reaction to these times is a prophecy of what happens in the future.

You get to a point in your life where it seems like it’s a dead end. But years later, you realise that it’s just a phase. Life is in phases. The difficulties are not there to end you. Tough times do not throw punches that kill. They make you stronger and give you experience. Interestingly, tough times add more to the success of a person than good times. It’s a time to know those who really value you and those who just want to use you. A successful man is easily loveable; but a man in a mess experiences what through love really is — people loving you at that point even though there’s no benefit to them.

Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. If only you don’t give up, you’ll look back someday and smile. I lost my dad when I was 4 and my mom when I was 12. Life was difficult, I can’t even lie about that. Early in 2021, I was having a conversation with a friend I knew from childhood and was teary. He talked about all we’ve gone through over the years and where we are at the moment. At some point, those stories were funny because we no longer look like where we’re coming from. That’s the beauty of life. Tough times beautifies your biography.

So when you go through tough times, have a winner mentality. Robert Kanaat talked about the difficulties he encountered: “My business had just collapsed. And my life along with it. Not only was it a tough time. I felt it was surely the end of the road. I had nothing. In a state of true desperation. You would have never known it looking at me. I kept a straight face, trying to pretend to have it all together. But I was a mess. A wreck. I was in a state of true emotional, physical and financial duress.” Behind the smiles, people are bleeding. It’s probably because we do not want mere sympathy. Robert went through such terrible time but came out victorious. Go through tough times and come out a winner. Go through it; don’t stay there. The winner mindset is one that doesn’t back out. Be convinced that you’ll go through fire but it won’t hurt you. Although you’re pressed, you won’t get crushed.

What will you do with your struggles? Will you let it break you? I bet not. Be positive always.