Everything You Thought Was Drowning You Was Teaching You How to Swim

There’s a quote I’m sure we’ve all heard at one point or another. And it goes like this:

Because the reality is, life can be full of hardships. We’ve all experienced things we wish we didn’t. Gone through things we shouldn’t have had to. Felt like the entire world was out to get us.

Yeah, it’s true. Life can hurt sometimes.

None of us have all the answers. We’ve all wondered why terrible things happen to good people. Sometimes they just… do. Sometimes it just happens.

But the thing is, when you feel like you’ve hit your absolute lowest – like you’ve arrived at rock bottom and are walking through your own version of hell – the only direction that’s left to go is up.

Besides, why would you want to stay at the bottom of a rock (I’ve always thought “rock bottom” was a funny phrase)?

I know in these moments it can be hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But look back at everything that’s happened to you so far. Every time life knocked you down, you got back up. Every time it was hard to see the end of the tunnel, you made it through.

And guess what? It made you stronger than before.

You learned how to take the punches. You learned how to swim with the current. You learned how to effortlessly flow through the phases of life.

Which brings me to a message I want you to remember.

Everything you thought was drowning you was just teaching you how to swim.

I’m going to be honest, I can’t take credit for that. I saw the comment one day as I was scrolling though TikTok of all places (hey, it’s good isn’t it?).

But they’ve got a point, and it’s a really powerful message.

For all the times life punched you in the face, you got right back up stronger than before. For all the times you felt defeated, you eventually found victory once again.

And for all those times it felt like you were drowning, you made it out the other side –and became an even better swimmer than before

Look, there’s no denying that life can be tough, painful, and unfair at times. There are days when it feels like nothing’s going your way and you won’t make it out alive.

But if you’re reading this right now, you did.

And I’d be willing to bet those days made you stronger than you were before. You learned, you grew, you became a better person.

So the next time you’re going through hell (and you will have those days, we all do), just remember the only direction left to go is up.

Every time life punches you in the face, remember it’s just teaching you to get back up the next time around.

And every time you feel like you’re drowning, life’s just teaching you to become a stronger swimmer.

Because you can’t appreciate the view from the top of the mountain if you’ve never experienced life at the bottom of the valley.

Never stop dreaming,

Connor

❓This Week’s Question

What does your life at the top of the mountain look like? In other words, what’s your biggest goal in life that you hope to conquer (or have already conquered)?

Feel free to reply to this email with your response. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

💭 This Week’s Quote