You can’t have a long life without some rough times.

“A long life includes all these troubles, just as a long journey includes dust and mud and rain.” – Seneca

It’s funny how we can so easily forget that we can’t have a long and adventurous life without experiencing some troubles of our own. We’re going to have bad days, rough years and some terrible times.

It would be unrealistic to expect anything less. We need to become comfortable with the unpleasant truth that our lives won’t always be easy. That doesn’t mean we settle for less. Rather, we just need to get better at appreciating that the human experience isn’t just endless days of happiness and joy.

I find that we create value in our lives by overcoming obstacles. Without challenge, we would cease to grow and develop as individuals. Instead, we would remain unchanged and a prisoner to whatever circumstances we were thrown into. We’re actually quite fortunate to experience hardships because those are the moments which ultimately shape and define us.

I can’t grow and change as a person if my experiences don’t change. We actually need the stressful, chaotic and painful moments in life in order to appreciate everything else. We may not always enjoy every step we take, but we can appreciate the journey.

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