#8 - Life is too damn hard!
Or is it perfect the way it is?
There are days when I wonder if life is simply too difficult to master. Juggling everything—family, children, career, health, finances, and more—can feel overwhelming. On top of that, the world beyond our personal lives is equally chaotic, filled with wars, political turmoil and environmental crises.
In this article, I will explore whether life is truly too hard or if its challenges exist at just the right level to help us grow, evolve, and become better human beings.
The outer world
The world has always been a rough place. In the West, many of us forgot this for a while, but for me, COVID was a stark reminder of how quickly everything can unravel.
From the moment we are born, challenges begin—sometimes even before. While some enter the world into loving and stable families, others face chaos from the very start. Most of us, I suppose, fall somewhere in between.
As we grow older, the difficulties continue. Nearly everyone I have spoken to has faced bullies, whether in school or the workplace. We encounter unfair bosses, unjust systems and the countless struggles life throws our way.
The outside world is a relentless training ground, and if we don’t learn to stand our ground, we risk being overwhelmed by it.
Our inner world
In my experience, navigating the inner world is even more challenging. In the outside world, there are concrete steps we can take to solve problems, but the inner world is far more subtle and difficult to grasp. Our psyches are complex, layered and often mysterious.
I believe we all experience self-doubt—the nagging feeling that we are not good enough. We wrestle with internal conflicts, fear, and anger. Confronting our inner world is tough, and many try to escape it through alcohol or other substances, seeking temporary relief from the struggle within.
However, the inner world provides us with the key, the solution to everyting. We need to look inwards in order to find meaning, happines and a compass for navigating the outer world. As Rainer Maria Rilke famously said: “The only journey is the one within.”
How we can master the pressure and find a fulfilling life
So, if life is challenging both inside and out, does that mean God doesn’t love us? Absolutely not!
I firmly believe that growth and learning come through struggle. The greatest achievements—the ones that truly bring us happiness—are often the hardest to attain. I see life’s challenges as lessons given to us by God, opportunities to grow, evolve, and ultimately contribute to a better world.
The concept of karma aligns with this idea: we are reborn until we have learned all our lessons and reached enlightenment. Each hardship is a step on the path toward wisdom and spiritual fulfillment.
But what can help us on this difficult journey?
In his book “The Art of Happiness”, the Dalai Lama says “When life becomes too complicated and we feel overwhelmed, it’s often useful just to stand back and remind ourselves of our overall purpose, our overall goal. When faced with a feeling of stagnation and confusion, it may be helpful to take an hour, an afternoon, or even several days to simply reflect on what it is that will truly bring us happiness, and then reset our priorities on the basis of that. This can put our life back in proper context, allow a fresh perspective, and enable us to see which direction to take.”
When times are tough and I feel overwhelmed, I turn to different strategies depending on the situation. Here are a few things that help me:
Prayer & meditation: Daily prayer and meditation help to put things into perspective and I have experienced that I can ask God for help—and it will always come.
Optimism: I learned with the years that after a series of bad days, there will always be a series of good days. I constantly try to remind myself of that.
Trust: I firmly believe that God gives us challenges that may be difficult, but never beyond our ability to overcome. Anything else simply wouldn’t make sense.
Nature: Spending a day in nature almost always makes the world look friendlier. We just need to get up and do it.
Coaching: I go to a personal coach for years now who is working with the method of kinesiology. I never had a session during which we have not found a solution for my problems. I can encourage everyone to try it!
What do you think?
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