Life has its ups and downs—no matter how good you get at living by the principles of success.
It’s just part of the deal.

Everyone, everywhere, will face plenty of opportunities to experiment with different ways of handling life’s inevitable pain.
Sometimes it’s occasional.
Sometimes it feels relentless.
Sometimes it’s physical.
Sometimes emotional.
Sometimes it’s the kind of pain that grabs your attention and makes you ask questions you’ve never asked before.

But here’s something most people don’t realize—and it’s a truth my good friend Garrett Gunderson helped me understand:

Pain is inevitable. But suffering? That’s optional.

Let me say that again:
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.

So what does that really mean?

It means that while you can’t always control what happens to you, you can control how you respond. The pain might be real. It deserves to be acknowledged—but it doesn’t deserve to rule you.

You are still the captain of your soul. Don’t forget that.

How do you steer your life through pain?
It’s not usually through some big, dramatic transformation.
It’s in the small, quiet moments.
The moment you pause, breathe, and choose to look for the good. Even if it’s barely visible. Especially then.

There is always good to be found.
And the harder the challenge, the more powerful the potential breakthrough.
Victory comes one quiet moment at a time.

The hardest work is internal. But when you conquer it there, the external world eventually follows suit.
Too many people wait for the outside to change before they feel better inside. That’s a sure path to endless suffering.

Because here’s the truth: the only thing you really control is your thoughts.
Your thoughts affect your feelings, and your feelings send out a vibration. That vibration attracts matching people, experiences, and ideas.

God’s Universe responds to what you’re radiating.

If you wallow, you’ll find no shortage of reasons to keep wallowing—people, circumstances, and thoughts that all support that energy.

But shift—even just a little. Find gratitude for something. Change your emotional frequency. And new solutions, uplifting people, and better ideas will start to appear. Not all at once—but enough to help you rise.

Remember:
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.
Suffering is wallowing.
Wallowing keeps the pain around longer than necessary.

Now, I’m not saying you’re never allowed to wallow—heaven knows I still take my turns. And I’d be annoyed if someone told me I couldn’t. But I’ve learned there’s a point where the wallowing stops serving you. When that moment comes, it’s time to shift gears and look for the ladder out.

Because the ladder is always there.
You just won’t see it until you’re truly ready to climb—and until you’ve made a decision to use it when it appears.

So... are you ready?

Are you looking for something more portable, more profitable, and more reliable than what you’re doing now?

Let me help—one simple step at a time—with my 12-week success system.
Learn more at ProspertheFamily.com.

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•   To discover how to start choosing more effectively now, read The Jackrabbit Factor (FREE!)  
•   If you want more step-by-step guidance on creating the life you really want, join me in the Mindset Mastery program.
•   If you want my help overcoming that giant obstacle right in front of you, learn more and sign up for Genius Bootcamp.