You Hail From What You Have Been Through.

1.1 Introduction

The Complexity of Life and Our Perceptions of Success

Life has never been a clear-cut endeavor at any given time. While success is all we yearn for, we get confused about what real success translates to. We tend to equate our triumphant moment to a rosy garden with a red carpet laid on the ground for us to walk on to achieve our goals. We crave for a smooth transition. But that is not all there is in life since more often than not we are unable to make lemonade out of lemons.

1.2 The Discrepancy Between Appearance and Reality

The Illusion of Success and the Stark Existential Realities

At the height of our success, we pose with charming smiles in front of massive crowds as paparazzi as the clinging cameras take our images in a state of enviable ecstasy. But more often than not the appearance is usually not the reality. This is what makes a difference between our dreams and the stark-naked existential realities that confront us. These realities are like a haunting shadow as to become obstacles in the realization of our dreams.

1.3 Navigating Life's Pressures

Overcoming Obstacles and Building Resilience

Sometimes we are unable to fully comprehend the situation we find ourselves in due to being bombarded by pressure from all corners. It is during such moments that we can easily throw in the white towel. Confronted by the blows that life throws at us, we are unable to come up with viable solutions. Hence, the need to explore numerous methods that enhance resilience as we face the storms of life.

1.4 The Importance of Frustration Tolerance

Cultivating Persistence Amidst Setbacks

Life is a relentless struggle of overcoming hurdles after hurdles. It is a journey characterized by falling down, rising up again, dusting ourselves and keeping moving on. The need to cultivate a high frustration tolerance has not been emphasized enough. Once our goals are set, we must be aware of the naysayers whose main objective is to witness our downfall instead of encouraging us to keep focused.

1.5 Learning from the Past

A Fountain of Wisdom from Historical Figures and Lessons

That success is not an overnight achievement is a lesson we can learn from those who have gone before us. As they say, we always stand on the shoulders of giants. There is a whole list of individuals whose resilient nature we can tap from in order to keep focused on our set objectives. A good example is Thomas Edison who attempted virtually 10,000 ways to invent the electric bulb. All those attempts suggest that initial failure is sometimes the pathway to success. We should not succumb to depression and sometimes suicide when our efforts towards self-actualization encounter obstacles. We should perceive every failure as an opportunity towards success.

1.6 The Power of Attitude

Attitude as a Transformative Force in Challenging Situations

It has often been said that attitude is everything. As Sasha Azevedo asserts, "I certainly don't regret my experiences because without them, I couldn't imagine who or where I would be today. Life is an amazing gift to those who have overcome great obstacles, and attitude is everything!" As he says, although attitude is a small thing it has a life transforming power. Another good example is that of Viktor E. Frankl who with a few others survived the horrors of the Auschwitz concentration camp during WWII. After witnessing the death of so many who lost hope concluded that, "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves." This is a great lesson in overcoming life's challenging moments.

1.7 Coping with Life's Challenges

Facing Losses and Difficulties in Personal and Financial Realms

Life is sometimes characterized by a myriad of challenges which can culminate in great losses either due to betrayal or being overburdened by financial issues such as bankruptcy and indebtedness. For instance, it might be a difficult experience to witness your empire collapsing due to family wrangles like divorce, the death of a loved one, irresponsible siblings, or personal shortcomings like poor financial decisions. Such realities can hit us so hard as to lack options for our next move.

1.8 Finding Solutions in Unexpected Places

Emerging Stronger from Moments of Despair

During moments of despair, we are so overwhelmed as the entire world spins all over around us. It is usually a moment we desire for the earth to open and swallow us. We try to run but we cannot hide. We feel abandoned in a world devoid of any remedy to our plight. But we need to summon courage for every desert of calamity is an oasis of comfort. It is during this do or die moment that surprisingly a solution emerges from the least expected avenue.

1.9 Unlocking Inner Greatness

Tapping the Unexplored Potential to Overcoming Obstacles

We should never allow situations to bring us down for we are more than conquerors. Every individual should realize that they possess a wealth of greatness deep within that is yet unexplored. Being able to reach deep down within us is an introspective journey. The beginning of re-energizing ourselves to overcoming daily obstacles.

1.10 Strength in Struggles Acknowledging

Mistakes and Transforming Through Challenges

Indeed, it is through our struggles that we are strengthened. We should learn from Friedrich Nietzsche who advises us that, "What does not kill us, only makes us stronger." Like the proverbial Phoenix, we must always strive to rise from our ashes. It is in this process of rising that we are transformed into more stronger and resilient individuals. Individuals who eventually come to realize that it is in making mistakes that we avoid repeating them in the future.

1.11 Forward Looking

Continuing the Journey Despite Life’s Hurdles

One might look at a duck on a pond and only see the serenity as opposed to the struggle going on under the surface of the water. We are all like ducks paddling on our ponds. The moment we stop paddling is the moment we stop living. Our journey in life must keep moving on in spite of the hurdles we experience. We should always be forward looking without an opportunity of turning back. The realization of our dreams is not a walk in the park but one that demands constant struggle so that in the end we can identify with the words of Martin Luther, "I have been to the Mountaintop."

By Dr. Mohamed Bahaidar (Sociologist, Recipient of the most distinguished award in the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia, Author of The Hidden Self, The Point of Deflection, A Household of Bliss, Sparkling Hope, and Mirror Reflection).