Why There Is Strength In The Struggles That We Face.

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I believe that a good majority of people in this world have a difficult time coping properly when we find ourselves in stressful situations. Now I'm in no way implying that this applies to everyone, nor am I attempting to slight or demean anyone that this may apply to. Even I myself can attest to the fact that I don't always manage stressful situations in my own life the best. Thinking of this begs the question; Why is it that so many of us struggle with maintaining a positive outlook on life when we're facing difficult circumstances? This is one of those questions that isn't an easy one to answer, but I think much of it could likely be attributed to how the society we live in views the idea of struggle. The idea of struggle is one that isn't deemed as being a good thing. Many of us have been conditioned to think and believe that we can only be happy and content in life as long as things are going good or moderately well for us. Because of how many of us are raised and brought up in this society that we live in, true struggles and hardships are far in between the good times we experience. Now people on the other side of the coin that may not be as fortunate as others will likely think and feel differently. People that are accustomed to facing hardships in their lives likely find a way to embrace their struggles. These are people that while they may not enjoy the idea of facing struggles, they know that they're a part of life and learn from them. Now I believe that most of us can admit that challenging times in our lives is something we'd rather not face. However, as with nearly everything in this life, there are pros and cons that come with our struggles. There is also a degree of strength that is available for the taking in the struggles that we face.

What's going on everyone? Brad H. here, and I'd like to welcome you all once again to another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I am back for another week to hopefully bring a topic that can serve as some inspiration to us all. Before we get into it, I'd like to thank you all for stopping by. In the last post that I covered, I talked about the NBA playoffs as they were just getting underway. The second round is officially underway right now as the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are currently playing right now. Later on tonight, we have the last game of the first round going down between the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets. This has been a stressful series as most of you probably are aware that I'm a Spurs fan. Now I originally predicted the Nuggets to win the series, but the Spurs have really fought and showed a lot of heart during the series. I do believe they squandered an opportunity to win the series in two out of the three games they lost. I'm really hoping that they're able to pull this victory off tonight in Denver. I really believe they can do it despite being on the road and having the odds against them. The playoffs in and of itself has been okay overall thus far. The Oklahoma City Thunder were a huge disappointment in my opinion. The same could probably be said about the Golden State Warriors in the game where they blew a 31 point lead, but at least they did close out their series against the Los Angeles Clippers. That Warriors and Houston Rockets series should be a good one. Can't wait for that one to start. The Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics should be a good series as well. Now that the weaker teams have been weeded out of the playoffs, we should see some more competitive series. I know all you basketball fans out there are ready to see what happens next just like I am. Well that is enough NBA talk, so lets go ahead and talk about the topic of why there is strength in the struggles that we face.

Now I can understand how it can be hard for some people to comprehend how something positive can be gained from struggles. I mean if we could have things our own way and choose whether to live a hard or easy life, the majority of us would choose to never have any struggles right? The enduring of struggles is something that we'd rather not have to face right? If you think of a natural disaster such as a tornado or a hurricane, it's hard to imagine how something good can come from those things right? I understand that a natural disaster isn't the same as many of the struggles we endure, however, a struggle is a struggle right? I mentioned earlier that there are both pros and cons that come along with the struggles that we face. Since a good majority of us see our struggles as something that isn't good; understandably so, it is hard to be able to see any pros being taken away from them. This especially applies when we're right in the thick of something that is testing us. I can think of something that I'm sure that many of us can relate to at sometime or another, and it is something that some of us may be experiencing currently. What am I referring to? Yes, that is right, money issues. If you're in a scenario where you're struggle financially, it is often hard to see a way out of it, especially if it is an issue that has been going on for awhile. By now, most of us already know that the trying situations and circumstances that we find ourselves in will end eventually. However, once again, it is difficult to be able to see that when you're right in the heart of the "storm". For many of us that are facing struggles, it often can feel as if they're never going to end. However, there is at least one good thing that can be taken away from them.

Before I get into why there is strength in most of the struggles that we face, I want to set it up by referencing to a quote by David Goggins. For those of you that may not be aware of who David Goggins is, he is a former Navy Seal and ultra marathon runner. I first became aware of him a couple of years back when I came across a podcast that he was featured on at the time. He made quite the impression on me, but he brought up something that has stuck in my mind since I heard him say it. He said the following: "You have to build calluses on your brain just like how you build calluses on your hands. Callus your mind through pain and suffering." Now I believe this to be a pretty straightforward statement, but I can also see how it could be confusing to some. I believe what Goggins is saying with this statement is that the struggles that we endure in our lives are what build those calluses that he refers to. People that partake in work that involves using their hands will often develop calluses on them, and through the process of repeatedly doing whatever type of work that involves using those hands will callus them to the point where the hands become more rugged. One of the more popular activities that can lead to calluses on the hands is weight lifting. The bars that we use to lift the weights with can create calluses, but the good thing that can come from that is that your hands become stronger. Now I know most people won't view an activity such as lifting weights as a struggle, but the theme is that going through or partaking in something that isn't easy can be beneficial to your life; even when it may not feel like it is.

So why is there strength in the struggles that we face? Well from my perspective, the struggles that we face in our lives can be helpful towards us build the strength and fortitude to be able to face potentially obstacles that may be coming our way. Just like David Goggins likened the callusing of the mind, the struggles in our lives can develop those calluses that harden us to future issues. This is why I believe there is strength to be found in the struggles we face. Now with all of that being said, I want to make sure and point out that just because we do indeed face struggles in our lives, there isn't any guarantees that there will be strength taken away from them. We can't be the type of people that just sit back during tough times and say that this is strengthening me to face the future. Not only do we have to do the necessary work that is required to overcome our problems, we have to have an open willingness to the prospect of seeing strength in our struggles. I believe this means that we can't be people that wallow in our problems. Besides the necessary effort that is required to get through struggles, there has to be a belief that they won't last forever. There also has to be a belief in ourselves that we're strong enough to overcome whatever difficulties we're facing. We have to remember that there are often blessings that can be found in the worst of storms. So for every struggle that we're bound to deal with in the future, remember that if you're open to being willing to callus your mind and see the positive that can be taken from your struggles, a belief that we can tackle whatever the future holds is the greatest strength that can be gained from them.

That is pretty much all I'm going to say in regards to this topic, so it is time for me to go ahead and sign off for this go around. As always, this has been Brad H. bringing you all another installment of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that there was some understanding that could be taken away from this topic. I also hope that it has been helpful and inspirational to others as well. I'd like to thank you all once again for stopping by, and feel free to leave any feedback if your heart so desires. Those of you on Twitter can also connect with me on there at the handle @BradrickH. Well I'm going to enjoy the basketball games today, so I'll catch you all later. I hope you all have a great weekend, and a positive week ahead. See you all in the next one! Peace!

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