Socien's Blog

One day, my cousin and I headed to the lake with inadequate fishing equipment, aiming to catch fish for our home meals. Meanwhile, some other fishermen at the lake were focused on selling their catch, while others were engaged in the sport of trophy hunting. This scenario reminded me of attending the same school and ending up with different paths in our adult lives. While some fishermen were well-equipped with boats, life jackets, and more, it didn’t change the fact that we all shared the same goal – to make a catch and define a successful fishing trip.

An hour went by without us making any catches. Meanwhile, well-equipped trophy hunters were proudly displaying their catches. However, some less-equipped fishermen who shared our goal also had a rewarding day. This latter group achieved success through their experience and composure.

Our lives can be likened to the fishermen at Fish Lake, coming from diverse backgrounds and with varied interests. It’s easy to become disheartened by the limitations of your resources and background and perceive life as unfair. However, it’s crucial to view your life as a distinct journey. Instead of seeing yourself as a competitor in a race, embrace every delay that life presents. The fisherman’s determination to catch fish is exemplified by his patience. He remains at the lake until he succeeds. When he doesn’t catch anything, he understands that his time will come, recognising that he’s not in a competition with anyone.

It’s possible that individuals with limited vision may achieve more in their lives than you. They may reap rewards and plunder them like trophy hunters, while you patiently wait for your moment to attain what you rightfully deserve. Perhaps, you may have invested in spiritual and moral wealth but still struggle to attain a better life than those who hold opposing values. This is because life is inherently unfair by nature. In light of this, do everything in your power to not miss out on the best that life has in store for you. You cannot borrow success from others. It’s just not possible!

If the experiences and efforts you go through don’t yield any visible results, something to serve as evidence that you have taken action, persevered, and worked hard, then it’s time to consider that these occurrences are happening for a reason. If there are no visible outcomes, there should be a purpose behind them.

If you fail to perceive the purpose behind the pain you endure and the delay in achieving desired results, you are likely to give up in a difficult manner. Surrendering in such challenging circumstances is a path towards becoming an average individual with no extraordinary accomplishments, leading to a life filled with regrets. It’s important not to dwell on how the minimal efforts of others have yielded significant results while yours have not. Instead, seek ways to transform yourself into a more effective version with each passing moment. To achieve self-improvement in this manner, it’s essential to uncover and utilize the purpose behind every hardship you face.

Having a sense of purpose prevents one from giving up even when there are compelling reasons to do so, as it fosters hope. Hope is a mindset that steers one along the challenging path with the lowest probability of success. This combination enables you to overlook the unfairness of life and embrace the difficult journey destined for you until you achieve the best outcome you deserve.

What is the purpose of our existence? This question itself is troubling. However, it’s not unreasonable to surmise that we exist to endure suffering. It is through suffering that we discover purpose. Some of the most difficult experiences in our lives occur to provide us with purpose. Just as a ship needs to navigate through turbulence and embark on a challenging journey for the compass and the navigator to guide it in the right direction, life without suffering would be aimless and stagnant. Would a ship need a compass and a captain if it had nowhere to go?

Life is inherently unjust, and this is an undeniable reality. Only those who have chosen to disregard this reality have discovered their life’s purpose. By paying no attention to this truth, they have leveraged the advantages they possessed to create fortunes they initially lacked. The path to success is forged not through what one lacks, but rather through what one had from the outset and the additional assets created along the way.