“The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.” – Swami Vivekananda, Indian Philosopher and Spiritual Leader

With life comes struggle. To know that truth, to be aware of it, and to accept it is where grace lies.

To celebrate struggle is another thing – that takes gratitude.

Knowing that struggle is the required tension in your life is where gratitude lies. The tension that struggle creates pushes you beyond your comfort zone and pulls you aside to show you something you have yet to let go of.

Every living thing on this planet experiences struggle and every living thing on this planet gains its power and strength from struggle.

Every living thing on this planet needs struggle to evolve.

You know what you know and you can do what you do thanks to struggle.

A hawk’s struggle for food is how the hawk can spot and follow a mouse scurrying hundreds of feet below on the ground. You don’t get “hawk eye” from hittin’ a drive thru.

A mouse’s struggle to stay alive is the very thing that develops its speed and agility. Running for your life can transform you into quite an athlete.

Just like the struggle between the hawk and mouse, your struggles are pieces of tension that you need to push and pull you into deciding, declaring, and experiencing you who you are.

Longing for something helps you develop patience.

Being pressured to do something helps you develop authenticity.

Being bullied helps you establish boundaries.

Facing uncertainty helps you strengthen faith.

Experiencing change helps you develop adaptability and flexibility.

Managing imperfection helps you foster compassion.

Your imperfection helps you develop vulnerability.

A loss helps you develop resiliency.

Falling short helps you develop perseverance.

When struggle comes along, see it as good news because you never have nor will you ever have to sit there racking your brain trying to come up with a way to expand your consciousness – to open your heart and mind a little wider than they were before. “Man, I gotta come up with a way to evolve!” Has said no one ever.

When the tension sets in, just imagine the light you will shine by bowing your head and whispering “thank you.”

Lean into the struggle. Stay there. Push through. Pull yourself up higher. And get stronger.