There are  lots of roads through life that take you up and down. Great times that never seem to end and times where an overwhelming sense of the world is just straight out to get you. Times where the difference between love and hate can be skewed. Times where the world is your oyster and you the creator. But at the end of the day no matter what is happening in life, it’s how we react that defines who we are; how we react to different tragedies and incidences in life, the mentality we hold. Darkness shows our true selves. It shows how we handle our lives in times of despair and loss to demonstrate how strong we really are.

Those who have experienced multitudes of loss can be some of the strongest people on the planet. They’ve been through the ringer, beaten and battered and still there. Still alive. Still able to keep moving forward to a future of their choice. And choose they must, because after a certain point, it becomes a choice on how the live.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to develop the practice of positive thinking. Sure, you can think positive when nothing is affecting you at the present moment. But what happens when someone you love dies, someone you love hurts you in unimaginable ways? How does that affect your character? What lessons or beliefs do you gain from such an experience? What do you take away after grieving? Where’s the positive thinking there?

Sometimes the questions we need to ask are ones we don’t want to answer. Questioning ourselves during times of uncertainty and pain can be an impactful and rewarding outcome. To grow and learn from these experiences is an incredible gift to give others. To focus your attention less on yourself and more on others and how you can be of service to others. To live through the people that have passed. By focusing attention onto others, it gives a sense of fulfillment in life, a sense of purpose. It keeps the mind off problems you have experienced in the past and harnesses the lessons you learned onto others. It shows the love you have for others, and love is one of the strongest things out there.

It comes in all shapes and sizes, laughter, tears and anywhere in between. To give your life to other people is the purest love there is. When you love with passion, you will live on after death. When you share your love with the world, the world absorbs it even if at times it seems the world is out to get you.