There’s these surprising little nuggets of wisdom that you pick up along the way. This has been one that’s really helped me get through tough times. It came from one of my teachers who studied with monks for over a decade. He obviously learned and passed on many many more things…but this one particularly stuck with me.⁠
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“Life’s hard enough. Don’t make it worse.”⁠
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The challenges are going to come. There’s no arguing that. But when they do, there exists a choice of what to do with them.⁠
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You can fundamentally make things better, or worse. If you meet those challenges with fear, doubt, worry, judgement, anxiety, criticism etc…it’s going to make it worse. Sometimes a whole lot worse. Now you’re not just in the hole you fell into but you’re digging yourself deeper. It takes even more work to climb out.⁠
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But if you do happen to fall into a hole, understand that these things happen. Sometimes they happen no matter how much you tried to prevent it from taking place. Since you’re there, understanding that it is indeed, just a pit, and that you have what you need to get out of it.⁠
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Meet it with understanding, love, skill, strategy, compassion, courage and all of the great qualities about you.⁠
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When you do, you’ll see that very same pit from a completely different angle. You’ll use what you’ll have and find your way out of a difficult situation.⁠
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And if you’ve found yourself with not the best mental attitude about things, that’s okay. Don’t judge yourself from that either (remember – don’t make it worse). Just recognize that’s where you’ve been and make the shift to something more productive.⁠
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Be gentle with yourself. That’s how you get through.

Evan Sanders