Is how we endure life how we perceive life? Challenges are inevitable, but how we learn to handle and endure what comes our way is what seems to evolve. When problems arise, our instinct may be to eliminate them quickly, like swatting away a bothersome fly. We engage our intellect, racing to find solutions, sometimes driven by fear or the unknown—concerns about how others perceive us, success or failure and the influence on our self-identity.
After all who goes looking for trouble? Norman Vincent Peale did. He encouraged facing challenges with enthusiasm and excitement, viewing them as essential for personal development, resilience, growth, and learning. As Peale famously said, “Problems are to the mind what exercise is to the muscles; they toughen and make strong.”
Similar was the mindset of Thomas Edison stating, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Edison was relentless in his pursuit of innovation, learning from each attempt.
From these perspectives, enduring challenges can be seen as stepping stones. Each small one prepares us for bigger ones, testing and strengthening our endurance. When we shift our perspective from “This is happening to me” to “This is happening for me,” challenges transform into part of the journey rather than obstacles.
Some of my most challenging moments have brought the most profound insights—realizations that become clear only in hindsight. So as the saying goes, “Everything will be alright in the end. If things are not alright it’s not the end.”
Sometimes, our greatest strength may be in learning to let go. Accepting change, being flexible, and relinquishing habits or beliefs that no longer support us. Understanding we cannot control every outcome, despite all our planning and efforts. Recognize there is a greater intelligence or force at work and it works for me, not against me.
While endurance can teach us to persist and push through, acceptance reminds us to adapt, let go, and find peace within. We learn to trust ourselves and endure whatever comes our way. Both are essential skills to effectively endure life’s challenges.
