Finding Light in the Darkness
We’ve seen and read throughout history, numerous individuals who’ve traversed the darkness of adversity and made it to the light on the other side. Stories of these individuals are always so inspiring! This is really the only reason I read biographies, to learn about the person’s adversity and how they overcame it. Every rich, famous or powerful person you’ll find, has a story of a dark period in their lives that they had to drudge through to get to where they are today. However, in the midst of our own personal adversities, it can be quite difficult to find that light or that inspiration to help us to get through. So, we’ll review some insights and ideas below that can help us through those challenging moments in our lives.
Every since we were kids, we somehow picked up the idea of being afraid of the dark. However, some of the most beautiful photographs I’ve seen were developed in a Dark Room. Some of the most delicious meals I’ve had we’re baked in the darkness of an oven. Caterpillars transition into butterflies in the darkness of a cocoon. The most beautiful miracle known to mankind, the birth of a child, is proceeded by nine months of development in the darkness of the mother’s womb.
Now look closely and see two very powerful keys in each of the examples above: (1)In each case, the darkness was only temporary (2)In the midst of the darkness, something beautiful was being prepared to soon be revealed. This is the point we want to bring home to you, identifying the “light” in the midst of your darkness. Know that there is a purpose, reason or process of something taking place. That reason, purpose or process is the “light” we need to be aware of in the midst of any dark times we experience in our lives. Just as we don’t see the baby until it’s born and we don’t see the butterfly until it emerges, we may not see the reason for our darkness while we’re in it. So, all the more reason to patiently endure so it can soon be revealed to you.
Stephen King, one of the most prolific writers of our time, shares a great example in his book, “On Writing — A Memoir of the Craft”. He explains how his writing submissions were getting rejected and though he loved writing and was pretty good at it, it wasn’t providing the means to support his growing family. In fact, he had to take on multiple jobs to support his family, but through it all he kept writing whenever he found a spare moment.
Well, one day while at work, he was called to the office to take an urgent phone call from his wife. She was calling him because Doubleday had just sent him an offer and cash advance to publish a manuscript he submitted long ago and had forgotten about. That manuscript was the book Carrie which made him over $3,000,000. The rest is history, but don’t miss two more keys here: (1)Stephen proceeded to write Carrie even while he was in the midst of a dark season in his life. (2)His continued writing throughout these darker times had also prepared him to step right into the role of a professional author when the opportunity arose because he had been mastering his craft the whole time, even in the midst of financial hardships and uncertainties.
One other quick example was shared by a well known Hip Hop artist from the Bronx by the name of Fat Joe. He shared in a recent interview how he began to embrace the dark seasons in his life as they were making him stronger and wiser. For instance, he explained that when his record sales were up, cash was flowing and champagne was pouring he was surrounded by a large group of people who would celebrate his success with him. However, during a dark season when sales were down and money was low, he began to realize only a handful of people would be there with him during those times.
He further explained that in the music business, it’s very difficult to determine who your true friends are. So, Fat Joe, began to look closer to identify who was consistently by his side not just when records sales were up, but in the dark times when sales were down. Well, soon those darker times revealed to him a small group of individuals whom he was able to identify as true friends for they were the ones who were there by his side even when sales and cash were low. From there, they bonded together and went on to achieve continued success and he shed the entourage of people whom he learned were only around when things were going well.
So, don’t be afraid of the dark; traverse it, bear it, work through it, you will ultimately transcend it and your light will then be revealed.
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Previously Published on Medium
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