“The triumph can’t be had without the struggle” Wilma Rudolph

“If there is no struggle there is no progress” Frederick Douglass

Most people perceive struggle solely in a negative way. Focusing on the inevitable pain and frustration that normally accompany struggle, we often lose sight of how much we grow when we struggle. There is in fact an inextricable link between struggle and progress.

When you exercise, you damage muscle fibers that your body repairs and replaces usually resulting in stronger muscles. Learning to walk and ride a bicycle required struggle—falling down and then having to get up over and over again until the skill was mastered. These are examples of the long term benefits of short term struggle.

Jack Canfield, who I co-authored “Dare To Succeed” with told me that he was rejected by 143 different publishers before landing a publishing deal for his first Chicken Soup For The Soul Book—Jack has done very well since then!

There is a lesson to be learned in every setback—these lessons are stepping stones not dead ends.

Struggle gives us perspective and helps us appreciate our growth and development.

It’s never what actually happens to us that matters, it’s the meaning we assign to what happens to us that makes the biggest impact on us in the long run.

Don’t fret over temporary struggles, embrace their beauty as unavoidable obstacles on your journey to your chosen destination.