“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” —Elizabeth Kubler Ross

Nobody wishes and hopes to run up against obstacles and challenges in their life. Partly because we don’t know when they will pop up, and partly because, by definition, the solution for overcoming them isn’t easy to figure out or easy to implement.

As mentioned before, the beauty in these challenges is that it truly is an opportunity, but before that opportunity is revealed, the test is presented, the challenge, to see your true character, your true stamina, your willingness to buckle down and conquer the obstacle temporarily in your path – or permanently, depending on your what resides within you.

Similar to the analogy mentioned in the quote above, a person’s true character can be revealed when their luggage doesn’t arrive at their destination or when a major drain in the house becomes clogged or when the Christmas tree lights become tangled. Either you have a defeatist attitude or a get-it-done attitude, and you and I both know which one will be more successful and more pleasant to be around.

No matter how you have handled situations in the past – good or bad, how you handle the next obstacle is a choice you, and you alone, have the opportunity to make in the moment.  Depending on how we observed others handle tough situations as a child, we often model their behavior as young adults especially if the behavior was successful.  However, if the behavior was not successful, yet if we haven’t seen other options, we may not know how to handle difficult predicaments.

The true beauty you reveal during times of struggle is a choice.  We all have the potential, the ingredients, to exude beautiful light.  It starts with the belief that there is a solution for every problem, it just might not be a solution you would have expected.  Once you accept that every problem can be solved, your creative wheels begin to turn, you begin to seek out help from those you trust, or books by authors who are reputable, and you refuse to give in.

Some dark moments are darker than others, and it might be that a bad choice has placed in you the situation you are in.  In such an instance, use this as an lesson to never repeat the same mistake. The solution in this case may be to take your punishment and not be bailed out so as to not lose the lesson and forge a different path.

Whatever it is that turns the sunlight out for a moment in your life, beam brightly, dig in and solve it. The initial first step sometimes is the most difficult part, but once you get your hands dirty and start seeing gradual results you begin to realize that you can get back to the sunshine.