1. Morning Contemplation
🎧 You can find the audio version of this morning’s contemplation below.
Good morning.
An unwelcome event doesn’t always turn out for the worse. A bold statement, but one that’s hard to deny.
Although things like loss, illness, arguments, and other challenges can automatically seem detrimental to our lives, it’s not easy to actually predict where they’ll lead.
Events can seem terrible when they happen. But how often has a difficult situation paved the way for something greater? How often has a human risen from the flames of an apparently desperate set of circumstances to not only survive, but to thrive?
The Stoic Seneca summarized it well:
Oftentimes a reverse has but made room for more prosperous fortune. Many structures have fallen only to rise to a greater height. Timagenes, who had a grudge against Rome and her prosperity, used to say that the only reason he was grieved when conflagrations occurred in Rome was his knowledge that better buildings would arise than those which had gone down in the flames.
What doesn’t destroy us has the potential to make us mentally stronger. The added experience of coping—even existing—through turmoil increases our ability to cope again in the future. When we go through what we fear, the fear of it usually diminishes to some degree.
We’ll face reverses in fortune, that’s just a fact. It’s par for the course of life, a toll we pay to keep our journey going. But the experience of navigating difficult terrain enables us to keep on navigating it. And, crucially, it gives us a greater appreciation of the smooth terrain.
When we physically fall, we find ourselves on the ground. Usually, without hesitation, we get up, we rise again. On our feet, we’re a little wiser, a little more determined not to fall again in the same way.
And so, it can’t be denied: not all unwelcome events turn out for the worse. Through our response, we can greatly influence where they lead.
2. Meditation
Find a comfortable and safe spot. Sit or lie down. Let yourself settle.
🎧 Play the audio below for a short, guided meditation based on today’s contemplation.
Let the ideas from this morning gently settle in your mind.
3. Journaling
Let today’s reflection spark some insight. Write bullet points, a summary sentence, or just let your thoughts flow freely.
Journal Prompts:
✏️ What difficulty might you face today that, if handled well, could strengthen you or open the way to something better?
✏️ When you meet a setback today, how will you remind yourself that your response—not the event itself—decides whether it harms or helps you?
✏️ How can you approach today’s challenges in a way that ensures you’ll rise from them a little wiser and stronger than before?
