Embracing Your Circumstances

“It is easy to think that where you were raised, … or what school you went to is all that determines your future. Nothing could be further from the truth. The common people and the great men and women are all defined by how they deal with life’s unfairness.”

W.H. McRaven

Many of us bemoan our situation in life and blame our woes on not being as well off or as advantaged as others. While some level of nuance is required to understand that not everyone is born equally or with the same level of opportunity, it holds true in general that we hold the ability within ourselves to overcome our circumstances and to rise above them.

Very few people in the world are born with everything handed to them. On the contrary, even amongst those who do, very few of them achieve the level of greatness we would expect. Knowing this, we can understand that it isnt simply enough to be born into a priviliged situation. One must have the desire to push forward, to succeed.

It is this burning desire, often fueled by the coal of poverty, competitiveness or hardship that pushes individuals to outgrow their struggles, to embrace, rise above and conquer them. It is this desire that ultimately is blind to whether you have £10 or £1000 in your Bank, a Porsche or a bike.

If the fire burns within you, you will overcome the situation you are dealt. It is upon you to control and nurture it.