I am always grateful for times of struggle as much as I am for the fun times. Both are necessary to live a balanced life.

When we go through challenging things in our lives, that is when we become stronger, build character and can learn so much about ourselves. I believe, that that is why difficulty exists and it’s up to us to make the most of it.

Here are 3 Things that I like to remember when things get tough:

1. Strength is for those who are willing.

We can spend all day and all night dwindling on how things could be different but, real change comes when we take action.

Strength comes from doing things that make us stronger; not by wishing things away. We have to go through challenges to come out on the other side with a different belief system, physique or mentality.

2. Running away from problems will not solve them.

As a child of divorce, I learned earlier in my life to run away from things that were too painful or that made me uncomfortable. A huge teacher of mine when it came to facing myself and problems was yoga- particularly Bikram Yoga.

When I used to practice consistently, I learned to see what I needed to in order to progress in life. Not all of us have Yoga but whatever physical discipline allows you to face up to something challenging and not run from it will teach you to do that in your life.

3. Tough times will always be in our lives.

We have a negative connotation when it comes to dealing with challenges or difficulty. Many of us have been programmed to think of them as negative or bad.

Over the years, I have come to truly understand how having a positively realistic attitude when dealing with our issues can help us overcome them. I’m not saying that we pretend that they don’t exist but seeing them as gifts sent to us to become better, stronger and more knowledgeable in whatever way applies to the particular situation.