Show me a man who doesn’t claim to have fallen on hard times, and I’ll show you a liar.

(Well, that or one lucky bastard.)

Even the bigwigs, the Sylvester Stallones and Tony Robbinses of this world, will tell you that they certainly didn’t get to where they are today without enduring good things like stress, depression, financial bottom, and a host of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. .

So what is his secret?

While there certainly isn’t a single answer to that, I think there is something of a common thread.

When normal people face difficult challenges, they usually give up, give up, adjust to their new circumstances, and/or just let things take their course.

Look at the number of people with depression across the country. It’s alarming, and it goes to show that not many people actively do something to change their current circumstances rather than let their current circumstances have their way.

Of course, as in the case of depression, this can be entirely understandable. Sometimes we just can’t. Sometimes things need to run their course. And sometimes, as with most depressions, it really DOES get better.

Of course, we should always try to take action whenever possible. Even though things seem hopeless and hopeless, there is often something we can do to improve our situation. But whatever things are, we could always use a little encouragement.

For the darker days, I found this quaint little reminder. I used it a fortnight ago when she was seriously ill. I usually have an amazing immune system, but I felt like I could literally need extensive medical treatment and was in grave danger. I mean, she was messed up.

And so, as I slumped helplessly on the sofa like a sack of rotten apples, shivering with cold and meowing silently with pain in joints and muscles, I continually forced this one mantra through my almost feverishly delusional mind:

THIS

WILL

HAPPEN!

Remember those three words. Because it is these words, or any equivalent of them, that go through the minds of great people who endure and overcome things more perverse than you and I can imagine.

I have used this mantra before, but never as intensely as the other week. And while it does nothing to improve one’s current situation, it does help in one’s awareness and perspective.

Because…: EVERYTHING HAPPENS.

Neither summers nor winters last. The inevitable march of time doesn’t give a shit about you or me or anyone else. (And we all end up dying, and there’s no Santa Claus.)

But getting caught up in a negative focus is very easy, and we probably all know it very well. And so, oftentimes, we could use an anchor that connects us to the positive side of things.

“But what about people who have terminal cancer, or AIDS, or [insert deadly illness of your choosing]?”

Well, there is no saying that applies to every imaginable situation. What I’m saying is that anytime one encounters difficult circumstances, things are likely to GET BETTER.

And no matter how bleak things seem, we must know it and act accordingly. Because that way, we prepare to win. And otherwise, we set ourselves up to lose.

So the next time you fall into a seemingly dark period, remember these three words:

“This will happen”.

May they be your light in the dark. Because whether you can see it or not, the light is really there.

We just have to know it, remember it, and live by it. Only then can we move safely and confidently.