JESSE JUNE

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.” – Roger Crawford

Not too long ago I planned on traveling to see a friend and staying with him, unexpectedly his work informed him he was being relocated from the exact time I was supposed to arrive. My flights had been booked, there was no cancelling. Meaning I would have to fork out hundreds paying for a place to stay, very far from home.

A week later, driving to my friend’s house with music playing and a smile on my face, my car came to a stop. An issue that cost me over €700 to fix. I didn’t get angry, I didn’t huff and puff, and I didn’t feel bad for myself.

I smiled.

There is no life without inconveniences or things going wrong. I’ve been blessed to have a relatively stress-free life. I do wonder if that’s because things don’t go wrong or because I try my best to not let them grow into something they don’t have to be.

I’m learning that life will always present us with problems in different shapes and sizes. What makes or breaks us not 10% of the time, not 50% of the time but 100% of the time is how we react.

The same thing could have happened to someone else, even me two years ago and I would have let it ruin my day, my week. Crying out to the sky wondering, why me. I’m starting to see that every hardship we experience in life is not above our strength

“Nothing happens to any creature beyond its natural endurance”

–   Marcus Aurelius

Just a few days after these waves crashed on my beach, treasures began to wash up. News that I could have only dreamt of began to come my way. Now when things that taste sour happen to me, I know something sweet is on its way. That’s why I smiled, I try my best to see them as a test, as a sign of good things to come. It sounds easier in the theory of course but the next time something that isn’t ideal happens. Don’t let your shouting mind and bubbling emotions consume you, remain present. The first thing you should do is become very conscious and think clearly so you can react in the best way possible. Negative emotions are never the best way to react to a negative situation.

The next time life throws an obstacle at you because there will be the next time, don’t get angry for too long, don’t feel bad for yourself for longer than you need to, smile.

“Why see more misfortune in the event than good fortune in your ability to bear it” –  Marcus Aurelius

Inspired by Marcus Aurelius Meditations and Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now