Today's quotation:

If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.

John R. Miller

Today's Meditation:

Are my troubles really troubles?  Or are they just the lessons that life is giving to me?  The answer to this question depends just as much upon my perspective of the troubles as it does upon what's happening itself-- how I see what's happening helps me to define it.

But is my definition accurate?  One person may see a broken leg as a terrible tragedy that's going to keep him or her from doing the things they love for a long time.  Someone else may see the same circumstance as an opportunity to rest the body and do a lot of reading and writing, trying to develop the mind and spirit while allowing the body to heal.

We all face adverse circumstances--that's life, isn't it?  But adversity isn't the villain that many people see it to be.  In fact, it's often one of the best teachers that we'll ever have in our lives.  But just as we can't learn from anyone if we don't pay attention to what they're saying or doing, we can't learn from adversity if we don't pay attention to what it's trying to teach us.

What kinds of troubles are you facing right now?  Can your financial difficulties push you into learning more about financial management?  Can your relationship problems gently push you into learning more about dealing with other people and communicating more effectively?  It's a very short distance from turning obstacles into opportunities.

For further thought:

The happy and efficient people in this world are those who accept trouble as a normal detail of human life and resolve to capitalize it when it comes along.

H. Bertram Lewis

more thoughts and ideas on adversity

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