I am often reminded of the blessing of the struggle. There can be no meaningful growth—Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, or Socially—without some struggle. In terms of exercise physiology, I often refer to “the overload principle” and phrases like “minimum effective volumes”, etc. As a teacher, I am reminded of what my friend, colleague, and mentor, Dr. Travis Beck, taught me: “We never really learn something until we are first completely confused by it.” In other words, “struggle.” In all aspects of our growth, we have to embrace the challenge—the difficulty.
Life’s struggles are often a matter of perception and willingness to accept the Purpose in the moment. I have found from my experiences that, when the path seems too easy, I am on the wrong path. It is not the ease of the journey that we are after. Rather, it is the destination we seek.
I often remember the last activity I was required as a pledge to gain membership into my fraternity in college. It was early January in Morgantown. We were led, blindfolded, into the woods near Cooper’s Rock, were left at the bottom of an ice-covered hill and told we had to make it to the top. We slipped and crawled our way to the top where we were permitted to remove the blindfold. It was sunrise over the mountains of northern West Virginia. The sight of the sun over the valley was reward enough for what we had just went through. It was glorious. It was a moment, but it was a moment I could not have experience had the path been easy.
Life is hard. Life can be very hard and disappointing. In the moment, however, we are precisely where we are—where we are supposed to be—because of the path we have taken.
Appreciate the struggle. Accept the struggle. Learn from the struggle. Regret nothing. Remember, it is not what you did in the past or what was done to you in the past that matters. It is what you do next that matters. Yesterday is gone. There is only now. Tomorrow offers no guarantees.
Seek the life of constant improvement. Be better today—Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Socially—than you were yesterday. This is real success.
Whatever the circumstances of your “path”, use them to grow. If the path is seemingly too easy seek greater challenges. Pursue the path of growth.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!!