Do you worry a lot? Do you worry about things that might not happen? Or maybe things have gone so bad for you that you no longer care. You did everything you can for things to get better, but instead, it seems to be getting even worse. Now you throw your hands up and surrender. You can’t just be bothered. But, you discovered when you stop worrying and fretting that was when things begin to work in your favour. You can’t understand why this is so. It is because you stopped concentrating on the negative. Your mind is not expecting good or bad, so it is neutral or natural. Truth is God made the universe to work for you. Your worries were a stumbling block

Life can beat you down. It can bring you down to grass from a place of grace. You don’t have to be at fault to experience tough times. Life is a cycle where we travel through the seasons. Tough times have their seasons in your life. The tough time is your companion for great things in your life. You must learn to see beyond adversity. The storms of life are endless, but it is your sole responsibility to navigate through. The problems you are facing will not kill you. They are your servant. They are here to build you. They are here to make you stronger. You need to make a conscious decision never to give up no matter what life throws at you. No matter how complicated the situation is, you stand tall, raise your neck, and hang on.

Can you remember all the hardship you have experienced? Are they still there, I meant those hardships? I don’t think they are there, yet you are going through another difficulty. The point is, if you survived before, you have the mental strength to survive again. What you are experiencing or going through at the moment will not last forever. It has an expiry date. You need to be alive when it goes away. You need to keep the faith and keep believing until that change you desire so much transform your life, and your environment.

Stop blaming yourself for the hardship you experience because life is not void of difficulty; it is part of the composition of life. You can’t fight nature. You must adapt yourself to survive, stay alive until things begin to move in your favour. Those people you admire and want to emulate in life are who they are because they overcame all the disaster life threw at them. They know what misery is. They have experienced multitudes of defeat and failure. They understood the pain of heartbreak, the agony of losing someone they loved. They have experienced all manner of ups and down you can think of, yet they are surviving, they live above their challenges. They refused to allow adversity to detect their life. They found their way, despite their deep despair. They are like you; they slowly developed through tough times. You need to take a leap of faith and believe you will survive because adversity will not last forever.

Your condition is not permanent, so stop behaving like it is. Your situation should not define you. Your situation should not destroy you. Instead, your situation should strengthen you. You have a choice here. You might be experiencing lots of pain, the kind of pain that gets into your brain and you feel like dying. Hold on. I understand how you feel. I have experienced pain before. I am not trying to compare my pain to yours. I was in Coma for three days alone in 1998 before they found me and took me to the hospital. I experienced pain, massive pain. I fought for my life to survive. Since then I have come to understand that pain is part of life and it enables one to grow. I am not saying it is easy. You stay awake, stay alive because you are a survivor. You rise above the pain. You pretend like the pain is not there and go about your life.

I have learnt to embrace the situation so I can navigate through and survive. At first, it is OK to feel numb when dealing with a difficult challenge. Accept the situation so it will create a way for you to survive and overcome it. Disbelief and denial can hurt you more. The quicker you accept the situation for what it is, the faster things will begin to work for you. You will somehow find a way to cope with the adversity. Be grateful that you are alive. Change the narrative. The situation wants you to concentrate on the negative, embrace the positive and be happy you are alive.

Understand that fear is dangerous. It makes you want to give up, but your fears do not exist. You must acknowledge your fears so you can address them. If you don’t, then you are doomed. Fear can cause depression. Depression can be suicidal. You don’t want this, so you are diving-in and chasing the fear out of your life.

Over the years I look back and wonder how I survived. Sometimes there are no answers because it is a miracle. After all, life wasn’t as hard as I thought. I am grateful that I survived to live another day — your attitude during tough times matters. Your survival depends on your attitude. Positive attitude towards your situation will strengthen you to overcome the situation. You will appreciate things the way they are when you stop expecting them in a certain way. You can turn your wounds and worries into wisdom and make them work for your favour.

To change any situation, you must take responsibility for it. Blaming others, blaming the government for what you are going through is lack of responsibility on your part. The price of happiness is responsibility. You must be self-reliant because your happiness depends on your responsibility to take control of your life, regardless of who is responsible for what you are going through. You must be the hero of your life and not the victim. Stop dwelling in the past. The present is here for you to handle.

Life is complicated, and as you deal with this difficulty, you build valuable strength. When times are tough, don’t fret, be more robust and rise to the occasion. Pray for strength to endure if the toughness is overwhelming. Stay focus, don’t give up because tough times will not last forever. See the bigger picture. Never take off your eyes from the prize. Celebrate the things you have rather than getting depressed about things you don’t have. I celebrate every morning because I am alive. Surviving is an opportunity to do it better and differently when I encounter another challenge. Survival is for the fittest. Stay fit to survive.