Life has its twists and turns. It can throw curve balls when you least expect it. Things can happen to you that you truly have no explanation for and are not in your control. Life is not perfect, but that’s what makes it beautiful. If it were perfect, we would be so bored, we’d all be trying different kinds of drugs -- oh wait, we already do, but that’s besides the point.
We all have our set of personal problems with which we deal. We have all had moments in our life that have shaped us and have only made us stronger because they didn't manage to kill us. No one’s life is perfect, no matter how great it may look on Instagram. Life is a journey, it has these curve balls to test you, test your faith and truly make you a better person than you were before whatever happened.
At my age, it is safe to say I have seen it all: from the point of my world ending in uncertainty to seeing some unthinkable things happen. And I’m sure all of you have experienced such dramatic things as well, because that is what life is.
It’s a game, and we are all here to play it in the way in which we decide. Sure at a young age when I was a bit naïve to life, I experienced many wake-up calls, I saw a lot go wrong and I saw the real world for the dark place that it really is, rather than the paradise we’re brought up to think it is. I constantly asked the question: "why?" I asked myself, and any higher power that was listening, because I was so confused with what was actually going on.
But, alas, from these experiences I have learned lessons that are more valuable to me than anything than I have learned during my college years. The first is that everything indeed happens for a reason. Life is about connecting the dots and constantly moving forward. If it doesn't kill you, it only makes you stronger and that is where you find your purpose in life. The two most important days of your life are: the day you are born and the day you figure out why you are born.
When you don't move forward and you dwell on the past, that’s when you become stuck -- and that is the mistake many make. These experiences that happen to you are meant to happen to you, so that you can learn from them and they build you up for what your true purpose is.
My father always used to tell me when I was younger that everything in life is based on your experiences. At first that didn't make much sense, but then I realized it had to do with what you took away from those experiences, what you have learned -- and whether or not you are stupid enough to make the same mistake twice.
Asking why is where so many people go wrong. When life throws them curve balls or gives them something they never thought they would have, they constantly question it. Instead of just letting things happen, taking it a day at a time and connecting the dots they just ask why. They’re constantly at a loss of their faith in themselves and become discouraged, less confident. They lose hope and give up on life simply because the question of why dwells on their brain.
Within life, there is something you need to understand. It all comes down to your mind. When you question yourself, you’re giving off a negative and weak emotion. Instead of just dealing with your situation, you are stalling. Which is why you hear so many people say: "Why does this always happen to me?" Well that is because their minds are actually attracting the negativity they are bringing into their lives.
Your mind works in a parallel universe of what actually happens within your life. When you have no faith in yourself and in your life, you make the situation worse and attract more negativity into your life. “Why?” has no answer. Many people end up asking it their whole lives, not realizing it’s a stupid rhetorical question.
The secret to life is not to ask "why," but rather suck it up and deal with it. It’s about constantly moving forward, learning from what just happened, making sure you don't make the same mistake twice and being better prepared. “Why” is clumsily answered with poor decision-making, which has lead to the situation.
When you fail all your classes in one semester, it is because it was your decision to party every night. When you get rejected from a job, and you ask yourself why, maybe it’s because you never did anything to make sure you are prepared to get that job.
Asking “why” slows you down and never helps. There are those people that end up asking the question their whole lives, but refuse to look in the mirror, because once they see themselves and their decisions -- they will have those answers. Life is based on your actions and your mind. Both have to work hand in hand with positivity and continuity.
The strong people of this world never ask “why,” they learn, they move forward and they deal with it, which is why they excel. The pedestrians are the ones that are left with a question they have no answer for. Don't ask the question “why”; be strong, never lose faith and that will get you through it.
Preston Waters | Elite.
