Have you had bad times? Are things rough and it seems like it wont get better? Does it seem like its just one thing after another trying to stop you and bring you down?

Life can be tough, it can be downright depressing sometimes. Everyone falls on hard times, times when it just seems like everything is against you and no matter what angle you look from, it is just plain bad. How do you react to it? What do you do to change the perspective and force life to be what you want and deserve?

Right now you may or may not be going through hard times. If not then you can figure that at some point something will and then you can come back and be able to use this info, but if it seems hard now then hopefully this will help make a positive change.

Take some time to think about the concerns, problems, and the rough patches in your life currently. Really take the time and think about it. The first question I ask is, is it really that bad? The next question I ask is “what are YOU going to do about it?” Hope fully you noticed the “you” in bold, yes you! Should I ask again, what are YOU going to do about it?

This is truly the biggest question you will ever ask yourself. What are you going to do about it? Tough times are everywhere, as Victor Frankl called it unavoidable suffering! It is what we do during this suffering and how we perceive it that can make all the difference in the outcome of our lives. How we choose to meet those times of difficulty and what we do in response will determine who we become and what we can accomplish.

I was recently talking to a friend of mine who told me a story about a girl about to go to college. She had hopes a being a computer science major. She had worked towards that goal for a while. She had dreamed of it and wanted for years, worked towards it, and was in the pursuit.

A while back this young lady took a final in one of her classes. After getting her grade and looking at it, it became obvious that it hadn’t gone well. She had completely failed the final. This failure was too much for her and in the face of tough times she decided to quit her passion. Of course there had been some pressure from her parents to pursue other avenues as is quite common for parents, but that was it for her. She just quit!

This was a critical point in this young ladies life and she learned to give up and change course when the going got tough. No matter what your pursuit you will run into hard times, you will face adversity, you will fail, you will get hurt, it is part of life. Now think of the dreams wasted the possibility for greatness that will now be wasted. The bigger problem is for someone so young to learn the habit of turning away, shutting down, and giving up could likely result in this happening over and over in life.

Have you ever faced hard times and just thrown in the towel, just gave up, or stopped the pursuit of your dreams?

There are things out of your control, things you did not ask for in life, sickness, death of friends and loved ones, unexpected twist and turns of fate. The choice is yours to perceive them as something for your growth, something to make you stronger, something to make you stand up a little straighter. Sometimes in the suffering the most amazing beauty can be found. Think of someone who is sick and dying. They are ill because of something outside of them, something out of their control, but often they find the joy and beauty that has been right in front of them, their loved ones, the gentile breeze, the smell of flowers.

Make a choice today that you will choose to persevere in the face of tough times, that you will stand up, fight for yourself, fight for your dreams, and fight for the life you deserve! Choose to do something, anything that will give you what you deserve and serve your highest purpose.

When tough times fall upon you take a second, catch your breath, and then ask yourself, “what am I going to do about it?” Do not choose fear, choose to win, choose to be the best version of yourself, do not give up, and live the life you deserve. In the face of adversity we may not always achieve what we want, we may not always win, but there is always the ability to learn, grow and get stronger.

Remember greatness is always just on the other side of tough times. The harder times are the more growth possible and the bigger the win when you do win!

People who win and win big never allow themselves to sit in bad times for too long. They always choose to move forward, to make a change, and continue to live their highest purpose. They do not stand still and just accept their fate, the push forward through the tough times and adversity. They truly never fail because to them there is no real failure.

Failure is often the greatest opportunity for growth. The opportunity to expand your abilities, your knowledge, your understanding, and move in the direction you want!

You can choose to accept what is in front of you or not. If you accept the tough times they will stay, you will never truly move past them and you will find yourself exactly where you are now. I know this is true, I can cite tons of examples and if you think about it I am sure you can too.

The reality is a different life is just one choice away. The times are unbearably tough but there is only one good option, the option to choose to grow and the persistence to make that choice a reality! Only you can choose a different path, a different life, a choice to fight to live the life she deserves.

I’m telling you the tough times don’s have to stay! All you have to do is choose to persevere, to make a change, see the growth, see the opportunity in the hardship and decide to make a change! This does not mean that you make a choice and magically you wake up the next day and everything is better. That’s just not life!

Sometimes the suffering is long road, the hard times are persistent but if you keep working and living your purpose you will eventually move to a better place. It will take hard work and perseverance but you can get there if you choose to follow a path to your highest purpose.

It really is just that simple, do not give up when the going is tough, persevere, fight on, stand up, and live your destiny, live the life you deserve!