The gem cannot be polished without friction,
Nor man perfected without trials.
Rumi
Feel blessed when faced with difficulty.
As difficulty is the sculptor of men.
One of the greatest, most profound realizations I have ever had in my life was the understanding that all adversity that I ever faced in my life was designed to bring out the best in me, to turn me into the best version of myself.
Since then, I have always been up for the challenge of the transformation.
When I am deep in difficulty, I feel blessed knowing a better version of me is in the process of being sculpted.
I imagine the Universe during the sculpting, with a chisel in its hand and Michelangelo’s quote hanging on its wall,
“Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is up to the sculptor to discover it,” while sending more adversity my way.
I truly believe that life doesn’t happen to me;
It happens for me.
In her book, “Death and Dying,” Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote,
“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths.
These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and deep loving concern.
Beautiful people do not just happen.”
Deep in the Difficult, You Will Find The Best Version of Yourself
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John Passaro 