The true man is revealed in difficult times. So when trouble comes, think of yourself as a wrestler whom God, like a trainer, has paired with a tough young buck. For what purpose? To turn you into Olympic-class material.” 

– Epictetus

We all go through tough times. 

Even if you’re not victim to the illness or unemployment sweeping the country right now, things can still be hard.  You might be working long-ass days or dealing with a flailing relationship or trying hopelessly to shed off some lingering weight.  

The bad news is that these tough times will continue, in one way or another, forever.  Once you conquer your current issues, more will arise.  That’s life.

The good news is that these tough times will only make you tougher.  Each time you conquer a demon, you become stronger to handle your next nemesis.  

Think of yourself in a wrestling ring, where life continues to throw you different opponents.  

If you have a large Dwayne Johnson or Hulk Hogan storming at you, you have no time to complain.  So why are you complaining now?

The people that can handle the most difficult situations win in the long run.  Success requires, as Winston Churchill claimed, “going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” 

It’s Monday morning.  

Time to step into the ring.

This post is from our new series, Daily Momentum.  Each morning, we send a short, inspirational post via email, blog and podcast.  You can get it directly to your email here.  You can subscribe on iTunes here.