Reflecting on 10 Years of Hardship
As said before, as much as this site aims to view things from a positive lens, sometimes it’s also important to be honest and realistic. As much as the past 10 years have been a time of personal growth, evolution, and experience, there has also been quite a bit of hardship involved. In this article I want to reflect on some of the lessons I’ve learned through enduring tough times.
Gratitude is Key
Over the past decade, I’ve been through several situations where for a time, putting food on the table was a literal struggle. Times where I was in between jobs, and just straight up out of money. Other times were due to factors within the national economy or dealing with the cut-backs of working for a bankrupt company. From those situations, the most important thing I’ve learned is to always be grateful.
In times where I wasn’t able to purchase every and any thing I wanted from the grocery store, I was able to appreciate the things I could purchase. If all I was able to afford was $15 or $20 worth of gas, I was able to appreciate the gas that I could purchase. In a strange way, this kind of made life more simple. There was no tossing and turning about whether or not to buy this or that, because I couldn’t afford it anyway. I had what I had and I made it work. And that came to my vehicle, my home, my studio equipment, my clothes, and the food I purchased from the store each week.
There were also times where for various reasons, I didn’t have a bed to sleep in at the end of the day. Either because I was staying with a friend at the time and sleeping on their couch, or because I was living out of my vehicle. As I’m writing this article right now from the comfort of my room, it just makes me appreciate how blessed I am. Most will never know the struggle of not having a solid roof over your head or a comfortable bed to sleep in at night. If you happen to be one of the ones that do, consider yourself lucky. You are pretty much guaranteed a life of gratitude from that point on.
Simplicity is Underrated
As mentioned in the paragraph above, there is a certain simplicity that comes along with tough times. I can remember times living paycheck-to-paycheck, working 3 days a week, but still feeling like a wealthy individual. There were no expensive dinners, expensive trips, or luxury purchases. Not that there is anything wrong with those things. They certainly have their time and place. But there was something calming about the fact that for a while all I could really afford to do were things that were basically free or relatively inexpensive.
You would be surprised at how much fun you can have with little or no money in your bank account. I took bike rides, went for walks on the beach, and went fishing. I wrote music in the evenings, read books, and cooked home made dinners. I actually enjoyed the structure of my life at the time, and this is something I’ve written about before. It wasn’t pretty or glamorous, but I was getting by on my own and finding a way. No handouts. No cutting corners. Just me embracing the life I was living as a young adult and working with what I had.
You Learn To Maximize Your Resources
You would be surprised at how many resources are available right at your disposal. Many of them are completely free. Libraries with free Wi-Fi, and the ability to check out books, DVDs, and magazines on a weekly basis. Public parks, beaches, and walking trails. Benefits and amenities that may be offered through your place of employment. Many people overlook these things because they don’t feel like they need them. And that is fine. But for me personally, I find that life is more rich and fulfilling when I’m out living to the fullest and getting the most bang for my buck. In cases where times are tough, it almost forces you to start becoming more resourceful, and what you find is that it brings quite a bit of joy and satisfaction.
During the time mentioned above where I was living paycheck-to-paycheck, I was also working at a nice golf course that offered free playing privileges and food while on staff. This meant that essentially, despite being broke, I was able to enjoy the same amenities as folks far more wealthy than I am, and who pay much more for those things than I did. On days off I would frequently ride up to the course to hit balls on the practice range, and since they served both lunch and dinner on work-days it saved me a decent amount of money on groceries.
When I was a student at UCF I made it a priority to utilize every resource I possibly could while on that campus. I utilized counseling, tutoring, and career-development services. I went to on-campus games and events. I utilized the on-campus gym, as well as on-campus yoga and martial arts classes that were offered. I even went in and got signed up to record in the on-campus studio. It made my experience much richer and more fulfilling, and it didn’t cost me a dime more than it would have otherwise!
Beauty in the Struggle
These are just a few things that I’ve learned through enduring tough times. If you have had to endure tough times as well, consider yourself fortunate. As you’ve probably heard before, there is beauty in the struggle. However, the last point I will make is not to carve yourself out a home in that lane. The purpose of tough times is to help you grow beyond them into better situations. Not to let them paralyze you and become complacent.
If you have a reason to get up in the morning, work hard, and strive for more, consider yourself a lucky individual. And if you have endured hard enough times before, that will pretty much always be the case. Once you have those situations in your back pocket to refer back to, you can hopefully ensure that you will continue to stay motivated, energized, and disciplined.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope it has served you well. Have a great day.
