What do you see when the heart hurts, and what are you choosing to feel? Problems or solutions are ours to choose, and our body is ours to command at will. Adversity is a part of the cycle of life and what makes it complete. Without pressure, human beings cannot become great, as the seed cannot become great without the weight of the dirt on top of it. Without the choice to create one’s own pressure, we can wither away.

“It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will develop.” — Dieter F. Uchtdorf

What if what you desire is on the other side of adversity? Life’s way of showing us what desires the heart most is by putting the desire behind an obstacle for you to move through, and what you are willing to overcome. Those with the courage to navigate through their feelings and move their feet into the unknown will embark on a journey of unforgettable depths. Show me with your feet, not just your mouth. Life is conspiring in your favor and gets repeated often because it is true, wouldn’t you agree? In the opposite of what is desired, a process of surrendering opens a door never walked through.

Walking side by side with tragedy also means seeing one’s own reflection in ways never seen before. There is a hero within you that must arise on this journey. Treading this new path requires a guide, influencer, and the elusive pressure to move our feet. The conversation is the place where one lives and dwells. It can be dark and gloomy, familiar but unfamiliar at the same time, and difficult to walk through its door. The conversation is our friend and adversary. Do not fear what takes time to understand. When tragedy looms, what conversation will you have with it?

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” — Helen Keller