Upland, CA
Life sends us through many trials and tribulations. When we go through the highs and lows the question, we
must ask ourselves, is did we just go through it or did we grow from it. If we just go through it, we are bound to
experience the same adversity again until we learn the lesson. Life is full of lessons and if we pay attention, we
can learn a lot and possibly get a Ph.D. in the school of life. With the knowledge and information, we gain we
can share it with others and help them along their journey. Are you willing to let the adversities you go through
teach you so you can be a blessing to others?
We are all prone to adversity. Adversity is about experiencing difficulties and misfortune. We cannot get out of
life without experiencing some misfortune and difficulties, but what are we going to do with these difficulties?
Do we allow them to become stumbling blocks or steppingstones to a better life. I have tried to make the
challenges and adversities I have encountered be steppingstones to a better life for me and for those in my life
that I am able to help. Sometimes it takes personal sacrifices and the willingness to be vulnerable to help others
from our own pain, but I know it is definitely possible.
When I was young, I dreamed about attending college. I was not sure at the time where I wanted to go, but I
knew it would be somewhere that would change my life and leave an indelible mark on me for the rest of my
life. I ended up attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and it was a highlight of my life, but
my real degree came from surviving the journey of life and sharing my survival techniques with others. I allowed
my mistakes and tragedies to be a lesson plan to navigate the journey to help others not give up and to not feel
like they are alone. I learned school has more theoretical lessons, whereas life deals with the day-to-day
practical situations. It is a blessing when we can achieve both.
Joshua J. Marine said, “Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life
meaningful.” When we can help other people live a better life from the challenges, we are able to overcome, it
brings more meaning to our own lives. Over the years, I have been able to share so many lessons I have learned
from surviving abuse as a child, abandonment, divorce, single parenting, the highs, and lows of starting a
business, depression, grief, and so much more. We are in this life for only a certain amount of time and only
what we do to impact the lives of others is what matters at the end of the day.
Life is all about lessons. What life lessons have you been able to overcome and share with others? To receive
your degree in life and master life lessons it is important that we do not become bitter, but rather better and
choose forgiveness and love over despair. During a certain period of my life, I felt that I needed to go back to
school and get more degrees, until people close to me shared that I already had enough to share with the world
and that another degree could never provide me with the knowledge, information, or skills that I already had to
share. That is when I realized that I can be proud of having my Ph.D. from the school of life.
Healing Without Hate: It’s a choice. It’s a lifestyle. Pass it on.
