This week I was listening to The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma and one part talked about Nelson Mandela and other great movers in the world. This part of the book really caught my attention: “All the best men and women of the world have one thing in common: extreme suffering. And each of them evolved into their greatness because they chose to leverage their circumstances to heal, purify and uplift themselves.”
I’ve been pondering on this idea of extreme suffering resulting in greatness and I think it’s true.
That idea made me think, “What suffering have I gone through? What suffering will I have to go through to become great? I haven’t suffered all that much and I’m not suffering now, right? So do I have to find suffering in order to become great?”
One of the worst things I’ve ever experienced was the car accident that killed my grandma. It was a horrific experience and I blamed myself for her death for awhile, even though it was an accident. I think back on the crash…the sound of breaking glass, the screams, the terror when I saw flames and thought the car was going to explode with my baby in the back seat (it didn’t, but thank you for the image Hollywood), my grandma lying unconscious next to me…it was horrible. It resulted in a lot of internal suffering. But I made it through. I came through to the other side as a stronger and more resilient person! It wasn’t easy to heal, there were a lot of tears, talks, prayers, and time, but the healing did come. I know that this one experience did not result in greatness anywhere near the greatness of Nelson Mandela or Mother Teresa, but it did teach me some things about myself.
- I learned that I am strong enough to go through hard things.
- I learned that God and time are the best healers.
- I learned that there are miracles to be found in the midst of tragedy if you’ll look for it.
- I learned that because I went through something really hard, I am now able to help others heal when they go through similar experiences.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Adrianne, what on earth does this have to do with your house renovations?” Well, here’s what…
I was thinking over the suffering in my life and in the lives of others. I kept thinking, “I’m not suffering right now, so what needs to happen before I can become great?” But then I thought about what else the word suffer might mean and I learned that it doesn’t always have to be unpleasant. One of the definitions of “suffer” is “to endure”. To me, endure is a strong word. It means to bear up under pressure and see it through. Well, as I’ve been working on my house projects I’ve had to bear up under the pressure of the commitment I’ve made to see it through. It’s been so hard some days, but I’ve stuck with it to the best of my abilities.
Here’s the thing: most people want to be great, but they don’t want to go through the suffering to get there. What kind of person are you? What kind of person am I? Will we face and go through the hard and uncomfortable trials we’re dealt in order to become great and make a difference in the world? This week I was not perfect, but I improved from the week before. I am trying to go through the process of discomfort to create the new habit of following through with what I say. I’m not always perfect at it, I’m not always happy that I made this commitment, but it’s helping me grow.
The main point I’m trying to make is that if you are struggling with a commitment, I believe that you can do it! And I believe that you will be stronger and better when you finish what you’re working on. I know that depression and anxiety can make little struggles seem overwhelming, but everyone is doing the best they can.
Day 29: 11/26/2020
I wrote my blog post.
Day 30: 11/27/2020
I finished caulking the trim in the kitchen.
Day 31: 11/28/2020
I finished caulking and painting the reading nook space on the front porch.
Day 32: 11/29/2020
Rest day.
Day 33: 11/30/2020
I finished painting the office door!
Day 34: 12/1/2020
I finished the office door by scraping the paint off of the windows and taking the tape off of the floor, hinges, and doorknobs.
Day 35: 12/2/2020
I didn’t finish a project.
