Don’t Pray for an Easy Life; Pray for the Strength to Endure a Difficult One
The intersect between Stoic philosophy and the wisdom of Bruce Lee
The title of this story, a quote widely attributed to Bruce Lee captures a philosophy for life we’d all do well to adopt:
It’s impossible to change the world around us but we can change ourselves to be as prepared as possible for what it may throw at us.
In the midst of hardship, it’s tempting to wish that circumstances were different. We may lament that things are as they are, vainly hoping that fate and fortune will cut us a break. We dream of better times ahead. In a time when the world feels so competitive and cut-throat, such sentiments come instinctively.
To pin our hopes on favourable conditions coming about spontaneously is likely to lead only to disappointment.
A far healthier response might be to accept difficulty as an inevitability of life — to prepare for it and to lean into it when it comes.
When you accept that challenging conditions, interference from adversaries and unforeseen misfortune occur will frequently in life, you’re freed to focus upon becoming better equipped to deal…
