(definition) Through personal experiences, people are able to learn, grow or change as an individual. It is true that although an individual venturing into something new may experience obstacles, the most important thing is how they choose to respond. If they face the obstacle as something to be overcome then they will reap significant rewards (thesis). ‘The Story of Tom Brennan’ by J.C Burke explores the ways that individuals grow when they are taken out of their comfort and venture into new experiences. (link to question)…
Not very long ago, my parents were on the edge of divorce mainly due to the fact that my father was consumed by alcohol which played a major role in his way of thinking. He sat my siblings and I down and explained he was ready to call it quits. As days went on it was obvious to me that I would have to be the one to stand up and speak my mind out of us siblings. So I did. I was very anxious that speaking my mind would do nothing but make me look like a fool, but I knew in my heart that I had the ability to stitch this broken family together. As a result, he and my mother worked things out and are back on track thanks to having the courage to be a family…
In life we don’t get to select our path. What happens to us is completely out of our hands. We can’t even choose what makes us feel whole again. While happiness isn’t exactly a choice, learning to cope with adversity is a start. In the novel The Things They Carried, some men like Rat Kiley could not deal the emotions war inflicts and drove themselves insane. Likewise, the young girl knew how to handle her emotions and was able to survive the loss of her loved ones. Life isn’t always about your given circumstances, but the way you react to them. Coping is one of the few things we can still…
According to nature everything must run it’s course that also includes struggle and hardships. Struggle is something no one wants to endure but everyone has to. When you struggle it builds character and paint your audience a vivid image of your development. I can’t think of anyone who hasn’t struggled in life. Did you know that Steven Kings first novel “Carrie” was rejected 30 times. After being rejected by many publishings companies out of anger he trashed his novel. However his wife retrieved the novel and encouraged him to finish it. Today King has sold over 350 million copies of “Carrie”. With that being said struggle and hardships are not meant to tear you down they’re meant build you up, and push you beyond that invisible roof your mind…
Hardship or catastrophic events can change our values and morals. When life is difficult, one must stay optimistic, and hope for the best. You must think of the situation as a new opportunity, because everything happens for a reason. Like people say, “People who follow their dreams are most likely to achieve great happiness."…
Losing someone that will never be replaced is so hard to even imagine they are not next to you anymore. One horrible day can change everything. Abel told me his parents were on their way home when the drunk driver hit them from the back of their vehicle. Abel lost his parents in a car accident a few months after we became friends; it has been very difficult for him since then. But he never stopped doing what he loved; he worked hard to satisfy his father’s dream. “Growing up with both parents in a medical field has influenced me to become a pharmacist,” said Abel, “My parents are my greatest influences even though they are not with me they will always be with me in the heart.” Abel’s father was a pharmacist and his mother was a nurse. No matter how times have been difficult for Abel after losing his parents he managed to overcome the struggles and achieved his…
Facing adversity in life can often change people in negative ways, even though they are presented with an opportunity to learn from the challenges they face.…
As our fragile minds go through adolescence and on to adulthood, we face obstacles that are put in our way that shape and define us as human beings. Some people tend to crack under the pressure others trudge through it challenging and pushing themselves to their limits. We aren’t always alone we have people that are there to help us along the way and sometimes they leave their mark on you like on the last shot in which a man talks about a lost friend who died in war (Source G). We find the strength and character in our hardship to develop and function in society. Hardship some times teaches us how to work harder and not to be afraid to fail and start all over again making people stronger and resourceful. It isn’t how you face the challenge that matters it’s how you react and respond to it that counts.…
I was working on a school project when I got a call from my dad saying he was coming right away to come pick me up, I remember the sheathing anger I felt arguing that no he wasn’t going to pick me up that I really needed to finish this school project. I still shake my head in dismay knowing the fact I in fact didn’t need to finish the project I just wanted to hang out with my friends. I can’t pretend that I didn’t sulk my way to my dad’s waiting vehicle that I looked at him with a scowl across my face. Nor can I wipe away from my memory the words he said next “Your sister is in the hospital, she’s lost her baby and she’s asking for you.” This complete wash of emotion that came over me the shame the concern I was mortified with myself. How could I have been so mad about my importance when my sister had just faced a devastating event? Looking up and saying “Take me to her.”…
Why We Need Hardship and Difficulty in our Lives “Endurance is one of the most difficult disciplines, but it is to the one who endures that the final victory comes.” -Buddhist maxim. For example, Bilbo Baggins in the story The Hobbit had never before left the limits of the shire. But, by the end of the story, he’s off fighting goblins and helping to slay dragons. He has become a new man who isn’t afraid to face dangers, go on adventures, or go past his former limits.…
When you’re three years old, you often don’t think or see the real world how it is. The year 2001, my parents decided to divorce when I was only three, my sister six. I didn’t understand but once I got older, I realized the situation since my Father had moved to Kenosha shortly after the divorce and my Mother moved my sister and I to the town of Spring Grove, Illinois. By this time, I was only seven years old and often silent for I was shy. My Mother was dating someone, and my Father re-married. Never did I know that…
Life teaches many things. As we get older, we realize there are constants in life that cannot be avoided. For example, we will most likely never be able to avoid stress, just as life cannot be lived without an encounter with conflict. Conflict seems to be a topic that is not discussed these days. In fact, we spend most of our time trying to avoid conflict. Given that we all have different sets of values, morals, and belief systems, it is inevitable that there will be conflict with some individuals at some point in our lives. I particularly faced a very hard battle along with conflict being involved in a severe motorcycle accident. This was definitely a life changing experience for someone like me who always has given…
These experiences helped me cope with my biggest tragedy, my father's death, a serious influential adversity for me to undergo. My dad is one of the closest and most important person in my life, he means the world to me. This experience taught me to be strong and brave, to analyze things with a positive attitude and open mindset and do everything with excellence. Our family, the Heng's, was complete until tragedy struck when my father passed last year. Since our father by left this world, and our mother is unemployed (widow, residing in Asia, and doesn’t speak English), I will be the head of the household, responsible for our family’s health and overall well being. Working hard to keep it healthy, growing, and prosperous. I am the oldest in my family, so I am also a role model to my siblings, providing an example for them to follow. To learn about family, respect, character, values/beliefs, confidence, culture, happiness, life lessons (good traits, bad traits, etc), education, advice/guidance, etc. My family depends on me, so I must serve and lead them well in order to live a good life, do things we never done and obtain things we never owned. My family, my life are my everything, my everlasting journey. This is a huge reward and responsibility, filled with many value, significance/tasks, sacrifices, and memories…
I didn’t want the day to end. I dreaded going back to my dad’s house and going through the cycle all over again. The shift from a familiar environment, then being removed from it became frustrating and tiring. As a child, I had this perfect image of having two parents who show compassion but not in my situation. I got lost going back and forth, I started to lose myself, leaving a piece of my identity behind every time I left one of my parent’s houses. As the years went by, I didn’t really know who I was, I lost myself along the way and didn’t know how to get back to the person I was before. This happy person from many years ago was slowly drifting away from the difficult situations I encountered along the way. As I was losing the pieces of myself, my brother was the little boy who put the puzzle back together.…
Along our journey we will be confronted with many situations, some will be filled with joy, and some will be filled with heartache. How we react to what we are faced with determines what kind of outcome the rest of our journey through life will be like.…