There’s a beautiful quote from the Roman philosopher Seneca which goes like this:
“The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within our reach. A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.”
I’m currently 5,000km away from my family during the middle of a pandemic and everything else that’s going on in the world. As you can probably imagine, it’s not easy being so far from loved ones. However, my health is excellent, and I know the situation could be much worse. So I’m grateful for the circumstances I’ve been given.
According to research published by Harvard Medical School, “gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”
Try to find ways to smile when you want to cry. Whenever you’re surrounded by darkness, consider adjusting your mindset to make the circumstances a little brighter. Focus on the things you already have, instead of wishing for what you don’t. Marcus Aurelius said it best:
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”
Adversity and setbacks are natural parts of life. Whether you like it or not, a lot of events are completely outside of your control. However, your response to each event or circumstance is not.
Concentrate on the light at the end of the tunnel. And whenever you go through difficult times, find ways to smile when you want to cry. If you can do those things, it’ll quickly become much easier to overcome anything life throws at you.
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