“We could never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world.” -Helen Keller
This is the kind of statement that I used to find incredibly annoying. I thought it was an overly simplified way of condoning a lot of the hurtful things other people had done. If someone suggested that a hardship was a gift, I assumed they were saying it because they couldn’t relate to my pain.
Then I realized that my stubborn commitment to being right and bitter was causing me just as much pain as I felt other people caused. I was hurting myself by holding onto anger and refusing to see what I’d gained through my different trials and tribulations.
When we consider that every event contains a gift–even the ones that seem negative–we suddenly have immense power in creating our state of mind and making a positive difference in the world.
Everything that appears to be dark can become light if we recycle it into something useful. Everything can inspire us to learn, grow, and help other people.
Today if you’re dealing with something you never would have asked for, ask yourself: What can I learn from this to improve life for me and others going forward? And equally important: What can I do with what I learned?
Photo by harminder dhesi photography
About Lori Deschene
Lori Deschene is the founder of Tiny Buddha. She started the site after struggling with depression, bulimia, c-PTSD, and toxic shame so she could recycle her former pain into something useful and inspire others to do the same. You can find her books, including Tiny Buddha’s Gratitude Journal and Tiny Buddha’s Worry Journal, here and learn more about her eCourse, Recreate Your Life Story, if you’re ready to transform your life and become the person you want to be.
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Though I run this site, it is not mine. It's ours. It's not about me. It's about us. Your stories and your wisdom are just as meaningful as mine. 
Yes, absolutely! I maintain that we actually don’t learn as much about ourselves and the world when things go well. Think about how quickly we start to take everything for granted when our lives are going well. But then when things go south, we’re forced to face our own true natures and to take steps to be more the people we want to be. We learn about our own strength and resiliency. Without hardship, we’d all just be lazy and asleep. The trick is using hardship to make positive changes, even if just increasing our knowledge of our own selves. It’s really difficult to do in the midst of pain. But, we muddle through and hopefully come out wiser for it. Thanks for the post!
Thank you… I mean…can I just say thank you for that. You have helped me with years of stuff with just.. that. Thank you.
You are most welcome. =)
Well said, Melissa! Thanks for adding your thoughts. =)