Life is full of dark times. So much, that there may be moments we feel as if there is nothing to be joyful about and lose hope that we will ever see the bright side of this world again.

We are most vulnerable to slipping into this hole of negativity when things begin to fall apart in our lives. During these times, we tend to perceive our problems as mountains, when they may actually only be hills.

Don’t get me wrong, all of us go through difficult and traumatic experiences which can be classified as highlands, but we often make a struggle appear much bigger than it really is.

“This world is a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. It’s about how hard you can get hit, how much you can take, and keep moving forward” (Sylvestor Stalone a.k.a. Rocky Balboa).

This quote explains the dilemma of life perfectly, especially when it states that the vital ingredient is being able to withstand struggles rather than let them keep us stuck at a standstill.

Another key to triumph is being able to dissect bad experiences in life, and finding a way to extract something positive from them. When I do this in my own life, I find it easier to endure the pain that is associated with these tough times, because I know the suffering will not be in vain.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger,” a quote credited to Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher, holds a lot of truth.

If we allow adversity to keep us down, then we are choosing to let it defeat us.

However, if we stand up and fight back against the hardships, we are making the decision to transition into a more mentally durable person.

In the end, the result really depends on how we perceive this world. Some will focus on what was lost in their struggles and disregard what was gained, others will make the best of challenges and find a way to grow from them, despite their losses.

Whichever perception of life we choose, one fact shall continually remain: No matter how deep the darkness, a light of hope will always shine within.