I am bigger than anything that can happen to me. All these things, sorrow, misfortune, and suffering, are outside my door. I am in the house and I have the key.
Charles Fletcher Lummis
Setbacks are part and parcel of life. No one – not even people born with a silver spoon in their mouth – can claim to have lived a life without any disappointments. Ultimately, it all comes down to whether one is in control of their destiny or not.
There’s no escaping the fact that the sheer nature of life makes it unpredictable. One can make as many plans as they wish, but there’s hardly any certainty that there will be no disruptions along the way. Does this mean one should stop having aspirations for a better future and that it is meaningless to dream? Of course not! At the end of the day, it is not about the obstacles one encounters on the way, but about how focused they are on the goal they set out to achieve.
For a resolute mind, no pain is big enough to dissuade them from giving up on their dreams. In fact, they are completely aware of the fact that any worthwhile endeavor entails its fair share of challenges. Therefore, instead of letting such hindrances dishearten them, they use these problems as an inspiration to keep moving forward. They know that no amount of failures can keep them from achieving their goals. And it is this sense of control that sets them apart from the majority of people, who see suffering as an insurmountable barrier.
Charles Fletcher Lummis was an American journalist and activist. Likening the mind to a house and problems to trash, Lummis once commented: “I am bigger than anything that can happen to me. All these things, sorrow, misfortune, and suffering, are outside my door. I am in the house and I have the key.”