I don’t think I’m making any groundbreaking claims when I state the obvious: Sometimes, life just kind of sucks. Plans fall apart, businesses fail, finances dwindle, relationships sour, economies tank, etc. The reality of the human condition is one of hardship, struggle, and uncertainty. Lucky for us, we have one critical trait that has allowed us to stand firm against life’s ceaseless onslaught: Resilience.
For hundreds of thousands of years, we’ve faced one catastrophe after another. Wars, famines, pandemics, natural disasters‒‒They weren’t enough to take us out of the equation. Our species has persevered against overwhelming, sometimes insurmountable odds and lived to tell the tale. For all our shortcomings, one thing is for sure: When the going gets rough, we get busy.
Flourishing in the face of hardship is in our DNA. From our earliest ancestors to our parents and everything in between, we have an innate ability to embrace the suck.
Unfortunately, sometimes, that ability remains dormant inside of us. We start to doubt whether or not we possess the mental fortitude to overcome personal hardships. And once that self-limiting belief roots itself in our psyche, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
So, here’s a reminder to anyone who needs it. As beautiful and fulfilling as it is, life isn’t always fair. Setbacks, failures, and tragedies are inevitable. But recognizing that you have a primordial capacity for resilience is crucial in handling life’s challenges with confidence and grace. Once you’ve realized that potential, you can finally begin embracing the suffering process.
Embracing the suck is a necessity, like water or breathing. Sometimes, skill, preparation, and planning are not enough to solve problems outside our locus of control. As long as you remember that you have the strength to shoulder these burdens and accept them as a natural component of your life’s ecosystem, you won’t just survive. You’ll flourish.