At the time they occur, going through ordeals, disappointments and hardships are experienced as painful and demoralizing, and often make for dreaded memories.
But given the fact that you managed to survive them and move on, there is a positive side to those experiences. While they hurt you at the time, looking back you can appreciate those experiences as having contributed to making you a stronger and more resilient person.
“No one escapes pain, fear, and suffering. Yet from pain can come wisdom, from fear can come courage, from suffering can come strength – if we have the virtue of resilience.” (Eric Greitens)
“The period of greatest gain in knowledge and experience is the most difficult period in one’s life. Through a difficult period you can learn; you can develop inner strength, determination, and courage to face the problems.” (Dalai Lama)
“On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin.” (Gregory S. Williams)
Getting Personal
Looking back, what one or two painful experience in your past actually contributed to you becoming a stronger person?
In what way did they help you become stronger?
