“Do not pray for an easy life, pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” (Bruce Lee)

Take this moment, and thank the heavens for all the difficult moments you’ve already gone through this year. Maybe you’ve had a boss redress you in plain view. Maybe you’ve had a child get bullied, and watched the school turn a blind eye. Maybe your spouse has literally turned you a cold shoulder in bed, just when you thought things were warming up.

Maybe, like me, you’ve recently buried a dear friend.

For all of this difficulty, be bold, and a bit ridiculous, and give thanks to the universe, God, or whatever. Dare to offer up gratitude for the hard things, because in your heart of hearts you know that these are the moments that make you most alive. Enduring them is what makes you truly strong. This is not necessarily because of what you learned from these difficult moments, but simply because you outlasted them.

Go ahead and enjoy the easy victories — I hope you have some of those as well. But remember that there is usually more value in the struggle to survive. Sometimes, perseverance is its own reward.