How’s everything in your life? Is your love life on track? Are your finances in check? How about your family? How are they doing? On a measure of one to ten, how happy are you with where you’re at in life?

Life can never be 100% fine. At some point, something is likely to be off track. However, sometimes things are too challenging to the extent that we have nothing to smile about. Such is what we call the tough moments – our lowest point. I believe that we should never forget the difficult times in our lives because they come with valuable lessons.

Below are 8 things difficult times teach you:

1. You are a strong person

Learning that you are a powerful individual is a blessing because it empowers your mind. They say that the purest gold has been through a very hot fire, and so is the strongest man or woman.

When you go through a dark phase in your life, and you manage to conquer it, you remain stronger than you were before the tragedy happened. Difficult times teach you that you will be fine no matter what happens. You will build up resilience to levels you never imagined you could. Eventually, you will have the strength and power to combat even seemingly impossible situations.

2. The people you lose remain a part of you

We all have a friend who we cannot imagine life without him or her. When they leave, you’re heart broken; it is hard to forget them. They live in the warmth of your broken heart, and it takes a long time to heal back up. It is more like breaking an ankle because it never quite heals completely. The most important part is that you learn to live past the hurt.

3. You are your best pal and your worst enemy

When life hits you hard, the first thing that most people usually do is self-loathe. You hate yourself for allowing the situation to get the better of you. You then hate yourself for allowing such mean friends into your life. The hatred goes on and on. Before you realize it, you are in a situation that is worse than it was previously, and you are in a deep hole of sadness.

Having been through a rough patch, you understand that you can be your worst enemy. Whenever a similar situation presents itself, you will avoid self-loathe because you know its effects best.

“We’re our own worst enemy. You doubt yourself more than anybody else ever will. If you can get past that, you can be successful.” – Michael Strahan

4. You need to change

Some tough situations come along because of our carelessness. Let’s say you are in debt; it may have happened because you lost a job or you were living beyond your means. If the latter applies to your life, it’s time you think about how you can change your behavior.

Rather than focusing on the external circumstances, think about how you may have been to blame and work on that. What aspect of your life can you change to improve the situation? Failing to accept the truths that life present to you will leave you entrenched in traps that you will never manage to escape.

5. You may lose control of life, but you can control yourself

Let’s say you were born in a dysfunctional family, is there much you can do about it? Not really, but you can work on having a functional one in your adult years. Surrendering to life makes you vulnerable and weak. You become influenced by what people think about you and peer influence.

On the flip side, harnessing the power inside you to control your life brings you to a healthy environment. Surround yourself with good influences and work on improving your skills regularly.

6. Regret hurts more than fear

When you give in to your fears, you may not even manage to look yourself in the mirror. Sadly, only a few people learn the lesson immediately. For others, it takes longer and ends up being very painful.

It is only when you risk losing that you can open up to the possibility of winning. Whether you desire to build a business or your current work environment is toxic, you must learn how to let go of what you think is familiar before achieving other things. If you stick there, years later you will regret why you never left.

“I have no regrets in my life whatsoever.” – Drew Barrymore

7. You know what matters and what doesn’t

When you are in excellent financial standing, you find pleasure in eating out, drinking with friends, shopping, and other activities that you can afford. When you are broke, and you cannot afford those things, it occurs to you that they never mattered in the first place. It hits you that they are only temporary pleasures that you can do without.

During a difficult period, you learn how to find joy in the simple things in life. Over time, you get to appreciate what you have more.

8. Not everyone is for you

When you are at your lowest point, you have the chance to know who your true friends are and who aren’t real. No matter how cliché this might seem, it is one of the most valuable lessons that you will pick when you are at a low point in life.

Failure is absolutely necessary! If life was perfect from day one, trust me, it would be too dull to enjoy. Even if it feels like the challenging situation will never end. Reach out to your loved ones or find help if you can. The moment all the hurt ends, you will realize that it was worthwhile. Never forget those tough moments because they contribute to the fantastic person you are today!

How do you overcome the tough moments in your life? What advice do you have for other people going through rough patches? Share you thoughts below!