Sometimes there are things that happen to you in life that feel unfair or flat-out terrible. Moments of rejection are classic examples. In the moment, it might make you feel like a failure. Or, it might feel like bad luck. You throw your hands up and yell, “Why me?!”
Through my teen years and early adulthood, my mom would often say to me, “You never know why a difficulty arises in your life. And, ultimately, it can be used to help someone else. Now, you can better understand someone else’s struggle. Maybe you’ll help another simply by having gone through this hardship. We can’t see the big picture of our life, Joanna, but, there is one. And there is often good that comes out of a struggle.”
As a teen or young adult, it would help take the sting out of the challenge a bit. It helps to get the ego out of the way and connect to the heart. I wanted to be a helper in life — a teacher of young children, committed to helping families. It was grounding to know I could possibly be of more help to another through my personal challenge.
Next time, you say, “Why me?!” Try thinking, “I’m up for this challenge – and maybe down the road I will be able to help someone else through it, too.”
