No one is without troubles, without personal hardships and genuine challenges.  That fact may not be obvious because most people don't advertise their woes and heartaches.  But nobody, not even the purest heart, escapes life without suffering battle scars.

Closing your eyes won't make the awfulness go away. It may be that nothing will. But dwelling on it, dreading the evil, playing out the misery in your head - doesn't this feed the monster? You can't close your eyes to life, but you can choose where your gaze lingers.

Friends make everything easier. If you want to succeed at a challenge, involve your friends. They have an amazing capacity to lighten physical, emotional, and mental burdens by simply being there.

You can endure almost anything if you have someone at your side who cares.

Two powerful, little words I've learned to use when facing challenges, fears, and doubts—so what?

Almost nothing that happens is pure curse or pure blessing but a measure of both.

There are no rest stops on the road of life. Otherwise they'd be congested with traffic.

If you couldn't sense heat, you'd not be alive. And if that heat never grew uncomfortable, you would never move. And if you were stagnant—unchallenged by unpredictable flares—you would never grow capable of shielding yourself from harsher flames. So yes, life was meant to drag you straight through the fire.

Your weaknesses may not seem overwhelming, but they will create the biggest problems you face.