Hardiness is
a powerful quality to have. People who have it tend to remain nimble no matter
what happens to them in life.
This virtue
of resilience enables them to learn from every experience, especially the really
painful ones; it helps them to find meaning in any turmoil they may encounter.
When we meet
our share of tribulations in this world, hardiness is what we need to bear the brunt
with equanimity; hardiness is the virtue we must embody to recover from any setback.
It is all we need to stay strong and thrive after some tragic realities of
life.
To develop
true hardiness, unlike the puffy stuff that is being promoted in many self-help
circles, we need only two things:
1} Reliance on the Creator
of the Universe
We need to remember
the absolute truth that nothing in the heavens and the earth can happen without
the will of the Almighty God. He, alone created us and everything that exists
in the Universe; He alone sustains all things.
Indeed, the
greatest secret of self-reliance is placing reliance on none other than the
Creator of the self. God is the ultimate sustainer of all that lives and
thrives. No one can be strong except he or she whom God supports and empowers.
Believe in
and reliance on God is the only means to lasting peace in this world and
everlasting bliss in the Afterlife. The Islamic Scholar, Ibn al-Qayyim (RA )
writes in his book, Zaad al-Ma’aad that anyone who wants to overcome all difficulties,
and then achieve eternal grace of His Lord must frequently recite the following
statement of unmitigated truth:
“There is no
power and no strength except with (the help of) God.”
2} Self-Confidence and
Faith
After you
have properly placed your reliance on God, the next effective thing is to do
your own part, starting with a firm belief in your own capacity to persevere.
When we have
strong belief in our capacity to bounce back from setbacks, we increase our
chances of survival. With strong belief, we enkindle the necessary confidence
to fight our way back to strength and power.
Without such
belief, we can succumb to the first blow of adversity. Without due confidence
in our own ability to rise, all the great inspirations that God has sent to our
minds will get no translation into tangible results.
Our faith in
God is measured by the mettle we can summon in ourselves. We need to realize
that we are more capable than we think. We can take a hit of misfortune and
still shine. We can get to a low point
and still rise. We may seem defeated and still win. Therefore, it is wise to
always stretch in the direction of faith, optimism, and courage.
In line with
the theme of this article, the author of an inspiring book, “Golden Rules for
Everyday Life,” Omraam Aïvanhov has some interesting words for us today. He writes:
“For
thousands of years the pearl oyster has been there, as a lesson to human
beings, but they have never understood it. And what does it teach us? Simply
that, if we wrap our difficulties and all the things that annoy us in a soft,
luminous, opalescent matter, we will be very rich indeed. This is what you have
to understand.
So,
from now on, instead of complaining and doing nothing to stop yourself from
getting worn down by your difficulties, set to work to secrete this special
matter and wrap them up in it.
Every
time you have to put up with a painful situation or somebody you really can’t
bear, be glad, and say, ‘Lord God, what luck: another grain of sand, and a
potential new pearl.’
Omraam sums it all up to you in one powerful
sentence:
“If
you really understand the example of the pearl oyster, you will have enough
work to keep you busy for the rest of your life.”
In conclusion:
Never forget
that no matter what your current situation is, you have the innate capacity to overcome
any difficulty and achieve your grandest desires.
You just
need to unleash your hardiness through loyalty to the principles of virtues and
complete reliance on the Creator that once made you from nothing.
