life struggle essay

Essay on Life Struggles

Students are often asked to write an essay on Life Struggles in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Life Struggles

Understanding life struggles.

Life struggles are tough times that everyone faces. They’re like big hills that you need to climb. These struggles can be small, like not getting the toy you want, or big, like losing a loved one.

Types of Struggles

There are many types of struggles. Some are physical, like health problems. Others are mental, like stress or sadness. And some are emotional, like feeling lonely or scared. Everyone has different struggles, but they all make life harder.

Overcoming Struggles

Overcoming struggles is like winning a battle. You need to be strong and never give up. You can ask for help from family, friends, or teachers. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help.

Learning from Struggles

Struggles are like teachers. They teach you important lessons. They make you stronger and wiser. So, even though struggles are hard, they can be good for you. They help you grow and become a better person.

250 Words Essay on Life Struggles

Life is a beautiful journey filled with ups and downs. These ups and downs are what we call ‘life struggles’. They can be big problems like losing a loved one, or small issues like not doing well on a test. Everyone faces these struggles at different times in their life.

Why Do We Have Struggles?

Struggles are a part of life. They help us grow and become stronger. When we face a problem, we learn new things and find ways to solve it. This makes us better prepared for the future. It’s like a test that life gives us to make us tougher.

The Good Side of Struggles

Struggles might seem bad at first, but they have a good side too. They teach us important life lessons. For example, if you fail a test, you learn that you need to study more. This lesson can help you do better in the future. So, struggles can be seen as teachers that guide us.

How to Deal with Struggles

Dealing with struggles can be hard. But remember, it’s okay to ask for help. Talk to your family or friends about your problems. They can give you advice and support. Also, always believe in yourself. You have the strength to overcome any problem.

In conclusion, life struggles are a part of our journey. They might be tough, but they make us stronger and teach us valuable lessons. So, don’t be afraid of them. Face them with courage and believe in yourself. You can overcome any struggle and become a better person.

500 Words Essay on Life Struggles

Types of life struggles.

There are many types of life struggles. Some struggles are physical, like when we get sick or injured. Others are mental or emotional, like when we feel sad, scared, or stressed out. Some struggles are personal, like dealing with a difficult family situation. Others are social, like feeling left out or bullied at school.

Even though life struggles can be tough, they can also teach us important lessons. For example, if we fail a test, we can learn that we need to study more or ask for help when we don’t understand something. If we get sick, we can learn to take better care of our health. If we feel left out, we can learn to be more understanding and kind to others who might be feeling the same way.

Getting Through Life Struggles

Life struggles and growth.

Life struggles are not just problems to be solved. They are also opportunities for growth. When we face a challenge, we have the chance to become stronger, smarter, and more resilient. We can learn to solve problems, handle stress, and stand up for ourselves. We can also learn to be more compassionate and understanding towards others who are struggling.

In conclusion, life struggles are a natural part of life. They can be difficult and painful, but they can also be opportunities for learning and growth. By facing our struggles with courage and resilience, we can come out stronger on the other side. Remember, it’s okay to ask for help when you need it, and it’s important to take care of yourself along the way. Life might be a journey filled with ups and downs, but it’s a journey worth taking.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Essays About Life Challenges: Top 5 Examples and 6 Prompts

Essays about life challenges let us share our valuable experiences and lessons in life. See our top examples and prompts to assist you in writing your essay.

Life challenges envelop the obstacles we face to reach where we are now. These personal crises we had to deal with have left us with lessons we can use to grow as people and have better lives. Essays that tackle this subject help us reflect on our experiences so we can remember our failures, celebrate our successes, and appreciate our growth. You can also check out these essays about life .

5 Essay Examples

1. african refugees life challenges by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 2. overcoming challenges in my life: dyslexia by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 3. a self-reflection of my life challenges, motivation, and persistence to achieve my goals by terence hampton, 4. young generation’s challenges in life and career by anonymous on ivypanda.com, 5. role of challenges in identification of purposes in life by anonymous on gradesfixer.com, 1. before and after life challenges, 2. extreme life challenges and mental health, 3. the role of family when dealing with life challenges, 4. life challenges at work, 5. the different effects of life challenges, 6. overcoming life challenges.

“The refugees are allowed to live in these camps and receive emergency food and medical care until they feel it is secure enough for them to go back to their domiciles or until they are reunited with their people living out of the campers.” 

This essay gives readers an insight into the everyday challenges of refugees living in a camp. The author describes their situation in detail to let the readers understand their suffering and how difficult it is to be away from their homes. The essay further includes relevant statistics and studies to showcase the astounding number of refugees worldwide, including how they became refugees. 

Refugee camps still exist today, intending to relieve refugees from their challenging situations. Creating a challenging environment for many refugees living in this situation. You might be interested in these essays about cause and effect .

“As a child, I can remember when people were reassuring me that I was such a bright and outgoing kid. But there were times that I didn’t feel that way. I’ve always thought they were wrong about me and just trying to get my self-esteem up… ”

In this essay, the author shares their difficulties with having dyslexia, noting how growing up with this disability put them through overwhelming pressure and unpleasant situations that made them self-conscious. Their disability triggered many emotions that made them constantly embarrassed or panicky. 

However, the writer recognizes how their disability helped them improve their communication skills and reflects on how their challenging time at school molded them into who they are today. You can also check out these essays about conflict and essays about stress .

“I refuse to let adversity crush me because that would mean that my family and I would have done all this suffering for nothing. I do not live in vain, I live for a purpose and that is to inspire people to be more than what they think they are capable of. No day is promised, but the future is always full of possibilities.”

Hampton starts this essay by recognizing how life continuously throws him challenges. Still, he decides to only reflect on the most significant impact on his character, namely, his brother’s arrest, his twin brother Dante’s disability, and his father’s death. Throughout the piece, Hampton narrates these obstacles, letting the readers know what they made him feel and how they affected him as an individual. 

When he thinks back to these difficulties, he realizes what his objectives should be, encouraging him to be a better person. Hampton tells his readers that these challenges inspire him to reach his goals. Check out these essays about life lessons .

“Being the age of twenty-four years, I have encountered and seen the various challenges that many youths in this generation are experiencing. The list of challenges facing the youth in the current generation is endless with most of them having great impacts on the entire globe.”

As a young person, the author lets the audience in on the challenges they face and centers the essay around the hurdles youth are expected to deal with. The writer focuses on the difficulty of gaining employment despite years of formal training. This essay looks at current challenges facing today’s youth and how to overcome them.

“When you are faced with a challenge, especially one that pushes your limits, you sometimes behave differently. I’m not sure how to explain it…but there is occasionally a moment when you feel absolutely drained — like you can’t take one more step or your arms are about to fail you — but if you have the right mindset you can pull the strength you need from a part of you that is not commonly used.”

This essay focuses on how challenges can be used to enhance self-identification. The author explains how difficulties in life are commonly related to experiential learning, which helps people reflect, grow, and change. The author also believes that the most challenging times bring out the bravest in us, and the more we get used to these challenges, the more we develop our “superhero power.” 

6 Prompts for Essays About Life Challenges

Begin your essay by sharing a personal experience about a life-changing challenge you had to endure. Reminisce about your life before this occurred, and delve into how you felt during the challenge, then describe overcoming the challenge and how it shaped you. You can split your essay into three sections to dedicate thought to each part of the process. Make sure to use descriptive language and share your feelings with the reader for an engaging piece of writing.

The effects of life challenges differ for each person. For this prompt, research severe life challenges that can significantly damage an individual and add relevant statistics that prove these cases. These occurrences include childhood abuse, long-term stress, and social isolation. Conduct research and describe how experiencing these challenges can result in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Tip: Make sure to cite research from credible sources. 

Our upbringing shapes how we confront challenges and find resolutions. These lessons are communicated through events we are exposed to as children and young adults. In this essay, describe the ways that different upbringings can impact our ability to cope with challenges. 

For example, a child who grew up in a family where anger was used to resolve challenges may be more likely to deal with their own challenges in a negative way, resulting in anger and anxiety. Look for studies that support this prompt and identify the importance of a family unit in a child’s reaction to life challenges. Check out our 20 engaging essay topics about family .

To narrow down the subject for your essay, focus on an aspect of an individual’s life they can’t remove, such as livelihood. Use this prompt to open a discussion about the challenges people face in their workplace and find cases that illustrate these difficulties. 

For example, there are 48.6 million Americans who have experienced workplace bullying. Delve into the reasons for these issues and offer possible solutions.

Overcoming tough challenges in life may lead to positive or negative results. Divide your essay into two parts, list the pros and cons of dealing with everyday life challenges, and add relevant factors that lead to those outcomes. 

Here’s an example: After the death of a loved one, an individual will learn how to deal with the pain and continue living their life with a stronger faith. On the other hand, they may succumb to sadness and become depressed.

For this prompt, choose a specific life challenge you had to deal with and how you addressed the situation. Narrate the difficulties you needed to manage during that time and ensure to highlight the qualities or values you used to overcome them.

Following the previous point’s example, if you have experienced losing a close relative, your struggles could include consoling your family and yourself while needing to oversee how the deceased’s funeral and estate are handled. You can describe how you overcame this challenge by remaining composed and wise throughout the ordeal. 

Looking for more? Check out our guide on how to write essays about depression .

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How to Write the “Overcoming Challenges” Essay + Examples

What’s covered:.

• What is the Overcoming Challenges Essay?
• Real Overcoming Challenges Essay Prompts
• How to Choose a Topic
• Writing Tips

Overcoming Challenges Essay Examples

• Where to Get Your Essay Edited

While any college essay can be intimidating, the Overcoming Challenges prompt often worries students the most. Those students who’ve been lucky enough not to experience trauma tend to assume they have nothing worth saying. On the other hand, students who’ve overcome larger obstacles may be hesitant to talk about them.

Regardless of your particular circumstances, there are steps you can take to make the essay writing process simpler. Here are our top tips for writing the overcoming challenges essay successfully.

What is the “Overcoming Challenges” Essay?

The overcoming challenges prompt shows up frequently in both main application essays (like the Common App) and supplemental essays. Because supplemental essays allow students to provide schools with additional information, applicants should be sure that the subject matter they choose to write about differs from what’s in their main essay.

Students often assume the overcoming challenges essay requires them to detail past traumas. While you can certainly write about an experience that’s had a profound effect on your life, it’s important to remember that colleges aren’t evaluating students based on the seriousness of the obstacle they overcame.

On the contrary, the goal of this essay is to show admissions officers that you have the intelligence and fortitude to handle any challenges that come your way. After all, college serves as an introduction to adult life, and schools want to know that the students they admit are up to the task. 

Real “Overcoming Challenges” Essay Prompts

To help you understand what the “Overcoming Challenges” essay looks like, here are a couple sample prompts.

Currently, the Common Application asks students to answer the following prompt in 650 words or less:

“The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”

For the past several years, MIT has prompted students to write 200 to 250 words on the following:

“Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something important that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?”

In both cases, the prompts explicitly ask for your response to the challenge. The event itself isn’t as important as how it pushed you to grow.

How to Choose a Topic for an Essay on Overcoming Challenges

When it comes to finding the best topic for your overcoming challenges essays, there’s no right answer. The word “challenge” is ambiguous and could be used to reference a wide range of situations from prevailing over a bully to getting over your lifelong stage fright to appear in a school musical. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when selecting an essay subject.

1. Avoid trivial or common topics

While there aren’t many hard-and-fast rules for choosing an essay topic, students should avoid overdone topics.

These include:

• Working hard in a challenging class
• Overcoming a sports injury
• Moving schools or immigrating to the US
• Tragedy (divorce, death, abuse)

Admissions officers have read numerous essays on the subject, so it’s harder for you to stand out (see our full list of cliché college essay topics to avoid ). If events like these were truly formative to you, you can still choose to write about them, but you’ll need to be as personal as possible. 

It’s also ideal if you have a less traditional storyline for a cliché topic; for example, if your sports injury led you to discover a new passion, that would be a more unique story than detailing how you overcame your injury and got back in the game.

Similarly, students may not want to write about an obstacle that admissions committees could perceive as low stakes, such as getting a B on a test, or getting into a small fight with a friend. The goal of this essay is to illustrate how you respond to adversity, so the topic you pick should’ve been at least impactful on your personal growth.

2. Pick challenges that demonstrate qualities you want to highlight

Students often mistakenly assume they need to have experienced exceptional circumstances like poverty, an abusive parent, or cancer to write a good essay. The truth is that the best topics will allow you to highlight specific personal qualities and share more about who you are. The essay should be less about the challenge itself, and more about how you responded to it.

Ask yourself what personality traits you want to emphasize, and see what’s missing in your application. Maybe you want to highlight your adaptability, for example, but that isn’t clearly expressed in your application. In this case, you might write about a challenge that put your adaptability to the test, or shaped you to become more adaptable.

Here are some examples of good topics we’ve seen over the years:

• Not having a coach for a sports team and becoming one yourself
• Helping a parent through a serious health issue
• Trying to get the school track dedicated to a coach
• Having to switch your Model UN position last-minute

Tips for Writing an Essay About Overcoming Challenges

Once you’ve selected a topic for your essays, it’s time to sit down and write. For best results, make sure your essay focuses on your efforts to tackle an obstacle rather than the problem itself. Additionally, you could avoid essay writing pitfalls by doing the following:

1. Choose an original essay structure

If you want your overcoming challenges essay to attract attention, aim to break away from more traditional structures. Most of these essays start by describing an unsuccessful attempt at a goal and then explain the steps the writer took to master the challenge. 

You can stand out by choosing a challenge you’re still working on overcoming, or focus on a mental or emotional challenge that spans multiple activities or events. For example, you might discuss your fear of public speaking and how that impacted your ability to coach your brother’s Little League team and run for Student Council. 

You can also choose a challenge that can be narrated in the moment, such as being put on the spot to teach a yoga class. These challenges can make particularly engaging essays, as you get to experience the writer’s thoughts and emotions as they unfold.

Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to have succeeded in your goal for this essay. Maybe you ran for an election and lost, or maybe you proposed a measure to the school board that wasn’t passed. It’s still possible to write a strong essay about topics like these as long as you focus on your personal growth. In fact, these may make for even stronger essays since they are more unconventional topics.

2. Focus on the internal

When writing about past experiences, you may be tempted to spend too much time describing specific people and events. With an Overcoming Challenges essay though, the goal is to focus on your thoughts and feelings.

For example, rather than detail all the steps you took to become a better public speaker, use the majority of your essay to describe your mental state as you embarked on the journey to achieving your goals. Were you excited, scared, anxious, or hopeful? Don’t be afraid to let the reader in on your innermost emotions and thoughts during this process.

3. Share what you learned 

An Overcoming Challenges essay should leave the reader with a clear understanding of what you learned on your journey, be it physical, mental, or emotional. There’s no need to explicitly say “this experience taught me X,” but your essay should at least implicitly share any lessons you learned. This can be done through your actions and in-the-moment reflections. Remember that the goal is to show admissions committees why your experiences make you a great candidate for admission. 

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the g arb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This essay is an excellent example because the writer turns an everyday challenge—starting a fire—into an exploration of her identity. The writer was once “a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes,” but has since traded her love of the outdoors for a love of music, writing, and reading. 

The story begins in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. One of the essay’s biggest strengths is its use of imagery. We can easily visualize the writer’s childhood and the present day. For instance, she states that she “rubbed and rubbed [the twigs] until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers.”

The writing has an extremely literary quality, particularly with its wordplay. The writer reappropriates words and meanings, and even appeals to the senses: “My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.” She later uses a parallelism to cleverly juxtapose her changed interests: “instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano.”

One of the essay’s main areas of improvement is its overemphasis on the “story” and lack of emphasis on the reflection. The second to last paragraph about changing perspective is crucial to the essay, as it ties the anecdote to larger lessons in the writer’s life. She states that she hasn’t changed, but has only shifted perspective. Yet, we don’t get a good sense of where this realization comes from and how it impacts her life going forward. 

The end of the essay offers a satisfying return to the fire imagery, and highlights the writer’s passion—the one thing that has remained constant in her life.

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

While the writer didn’t succeed in getting the track dedicated to Coach Stark, their essay is certainly successful in showing their willingness to push themselves and take initiative.

The essay opens with a quote from Coach Stark that later comes full circle at the end of the essay. We learn about Stark’s impact and the motivation for trying to get the track dedicated to him.

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The essay goes on to explain how the writer overcame their apprehension of public speaking, and likens the process of submitting an appeal to the school board to running a race. This metaphor makes the writing more engaging and allows us to feel the student’s emotions.

While the student didn’t ultimately succeed in getting the track dedicated, we learn about their resilience and initiative: I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Overall, this essay is well-done. It demonstrates growth despite failing to meet a goal, which is a unique essay structure. The running metaphor and full-circle intro/ending also elevate the writing in this essay.

Where to Get Your Overcoming Challenges Essay Edited

The Overcoming Challenges essay is one of the trickier supplemental prompts, so it’s important to get feedback on your drafts. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Life as a Human’s Struggle for Happiness Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

People have always tried to find meaning in everything, especially in life itself. There are different standpoints on the matter. I also used to think of that but could not find the necessary answer. However, now I understand that life is a human’s struggle for happiness. Noteworthy, the battle does not necessarily mean fights, pain, suffering, etc. (though sometimes people have to experience these things as well). The struggle is more about trying to enjoy life as it is, to live life to the fullest. My uncle’s life and even his death are the best illustrations of this kind of struggle. His experiences made me understand how to look at obstacles and how to overcome them.

Uncle Ali was a bright and inspiring student. He was full of energy and always knew what exactly he wanted. We all believed he would become a successful man whatever career he chose. He was a model for me as he understood the importance of education and development. I shared his viewpoints on lots of issues. Irrespective of the age difference, we were quite close to my uncle. It was my last year at high school, and it was his last year at the university when he found out about his health problem. Of course, it was a horrible blow to everyone when Ali was diagnosed with cancer.

He did not expect that, and he did not even know how to react. He could not believe it was happening. He made several tests to make sure there was no mistake. Unfortunately, the diagnosis was correct. Ali was devastated. It seemed no one could comfort him, and he would go into his shell. However, this period lasted a few days. Soon, he became the Ali we had known before the diagnosis. However, he would not talk about his health and diagnosis. He did not want to talk about it, and we did not dare start the conversation concerning his condition. He was a bit different, but he was still a hardworking student and a caring member of our family.

There was one evening when we all got together for a meal. Ali started talking about his health and his future plans. He said he had been thinking for a long time about his life. He understood that there was little hope to recover, but he was determined to continue his studies. He said he was eager to get his degree and live his life to the fullest. He also told us about his struggle with himself. He said that first, he decided to continue living his normal life.

Meanwhile, he wanted to find the answer to his questions. After a while, Ali understood that the answer to his question was life. In other words, he preferred living and achieving his goals rather than giving up and thinking of his disease and his fate. Once he understood that, he became confident and even happy.

Admittedly, Ali had many really horrible days when his pain was intolerable. He also suffered a lot, but he never complained. He kept studying and spending time with his friends and relatives. We did not talk much about Ali’s health. However, he told me once that the disease made him cherish every moment of his life. He graduated from university, and he got his degree. He was happy, and we were really proud of him. Several months after the graduation, Ali died.

I lost my close friend, but his experiences and his struggle made me understand a really important thing. First of all, I understood that positive thinking is something possible and really helpful in certain situations. Ziglar and Ziglar Norman (2009, p. 3) claim that it is crucial to living “life on life’s terms.” Ali had this positive attitude and managed to enjoy his life. My uncle managed to understand that it is essential to accept the things you cannot change. I also understand that being positive helps people go on.

However, the major lesson my uncle taught me is, of course, his decision to remain a part of society. He did not want to be in his shell and suffer from his pain (physical and emotional). He found joy in communicating with his peers, friends, and relatives, or even professors. It was a good lesson for me. There were moments when I thought I did not need anyone. I thought I was a loner, and it was better for me and my future. Clearly, I was wrong. People need society. We need other people’s support and understanding. Being lonely and thinking about some problems can be dangerous for an individual. When we are interacting, we find the strength to go on, and we can even forget about our sorrows.

Now, I can confess that I have acknowledged what the meaning of our life is. People live to set goals and achieve them, to interact and develop human society. We all live to bring meaning to our and other people’s lives. I used to look for something larger than life, but I understand that living with other people is the major aim of any individual. I am not chasing after greater goals and predestinations now. I understand that my choices and my life have an enormous impact on other people’s lives.

My uncle’s experiences helped me understand this. I believe this understanding can help me face any issues. I think people can handle any problem if they understand that their life is meaningful, and each day brings joy and happiness.

Of course, now I also know that some tiny issues I face are nothing compared to my uncle’s experiences. I understand that I can overcome any issues, and I do not get upset because of some difficulties related to my studies or personal life. Some students develop depressions because of their poor marks or unanswered love. I think this is ridiculous, and they simply do not know what the most horrible things are. I am even a bit sorry for them as they seem unprepared to face real constraints. As far as I am concerned, I am ready to cope with any issue. At least, I have a really great example of courage and wisdom.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the death of my uncle, who was young and full of energy, made me understand a very important thing. There is no point in trying to change things you cannot change. There is no point in being alone and trying to handle everything on your own. This makes people miserable. On the contrary, it is vital to remain open and live among people and to interact with everyone. Now, I understand that even the most serious problems are experiences that have a certain impact on us and the rest of the world.

Reference List

Ziglar, Z., & Ziglar Norman, J. (2009). Embrace the struggle: Living life on life’s terms . New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

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5 Valuable Life Lessons Struggle and Hardship Teaches You

Oct 30, 2020 | Deploy Yourself , Life | 1 comment

When faced with difficulties as human beings, our natural reaction is to avoid the situation rather than power through it. Years of evolution have wired our brains to seek the comfort of the familiar and avoid the discomfort that comes with new and challenging experiences. 

When you experience fear, whether physical or psychological, the part of the brain responsible for dealing with emotions (limbic system) is triggered before the reasoning part of the brain (neocortex). Overwhelming fear triggers a fight or flight response that makes you act before you think. 

Subconscious reactions are necessary for your survival. But they can also be an impediment when there’s no actual danger or when the situation calls for an appropriate response rather than a spontaneous reaction.

Emotions can teach you a lot about yourself , but you should never allow them to take control of your responses. Hasty responses such as outbursts of anger make it difficult to have meaningful relationships, handle conflicts, and communicate effectively.

Every 2 weeks I share my most valuable learnings from living life fully in my Deploy Yourself Newsletter . Sign up now to download a workbook with 164 Powerful Questions which I use daily in my work and coaching. Allow these questions to transform your life and leadership.

Although avoiding struggle is a natural biological response, it is also ironic because struggle can teach us many valuable lessons. Struggle builds character, makes you stronger, and enables you to grow in all aspects of your life. Nobody wakes up in the morning hoping to struggle, but the struggle can provide you with valuable life lessons. 

5 Lessons Struggle Teaches You That Are Valuable In Life

Every cloud has a silver lining. Going through a difficult phase in life can be immensely valuable if you face it with an attitude of perseverance and patience. The following are 5 valuable lessons struggle teaches you.

1. Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness is the ability to look for and utilize available resources to attain a certain objective. Achieving your set goals may seem impossible when resources are limited, but this is also an opportunity to be resourceful and make the best of what you have.

Persevering in times of struggle enables you to think outside the box and try new approaches to dealing with the problem. Rising above the struggle of limited opportunities will teach you to be more resourceful and enhance your problem-solving skills for the future.

“Success is not about your resources. It’s about how resourceful you are with what you have.” – Tony Robbins

When you grow up in a family with little money, the only choice you have is to find creative solutions to make ends meet. For example, when I was growing up I remember how my mother used any spare paper for taking notes and math practice, any spare cloth for making clothes, or to utilize a pencil till it disappears by attaching it to pen handles. 

Being resourceful will not only help you achieve your goals but will also help you manage stressful situations better. According to a research conducted to examine the impact of learned resourcefulness on the relationship between academic stress and academic performance, highly resourceful students were found to be better at managing academic stress. 

The study which sampled 141 university students revealed that academic stress negatively impacted the students’ academic grades. However, the stress had no impact on students who showed high resourcefulness.

The frustration you experience when struggling with a problem can open up your mind to alternative ideas and solutions. When the methods you’re using are not helping you find a solution, you are bound to try other ideas you wouldn’t have thought of had things been sailing smoothly. 

You may even try things you had initially ignored. Struggle can bring out the hidden creative genius within you, enabling you to see a problem from a new angle. You tend to remain in your comfort zone and take less risk when everything is going well.

The best way to learn resourcefulness is to look beyond your struggle and approach problems from a new perspective. By not giving up when problems seem difficult, you can learn from mistakes along the way. This is the common formula that highly successful people like Walt Disney, Richard Branson, etc have utilized in their respective careers.

2. Struggle Teaches You Prioritization and Helps You Realize What Is Really Important

Prioritization means choosing what matters most. When you face multiple tasks and responsibilities in life, they will compete for both your time and resources. Although everything may seem important, not every task requires your urgent attention. 

Learning to prioritize will save time you would have wasted going back and forth between tasks. Prioritizing is a skill that needs constant practice. It requires you to know what matters and recognizing what should be put on the back burner. Facing struggles in life will teach you to let go of things that don’t add value and to value what is really important.

When your financial situation is favorable, you will find joy engaging in activities such as going to the club, shopping, traveling, dining in restaurants, and going to events. When you’re facing struggle, however, you may not see these activities as high priority ones. You will more likely direct your resources (time, attention, money) to more important activities.

Instead of eating out, you will start cooking. Instead of going to the club, you will consider a more intimate gathering of friends in your house. Rather than buying things you don’t need, you will learn to appreciate what you have in life. Little by little, you will realize you don’t really need fancy stuff to be happy and learn to appreciate the simple things.

When you’re dealing with adversity, how you adapt or cope will determine whether you bounce back quickly or not. Self-awareness is crucial to developing emotional intelligence. Learning to monitor your thoughts and emotions will help you understand yourself better and be at peace with who you are.

When dealing with life struggles, the important thing is to make taking care of yourself physically and emotionally, your first priority. Physical self-care includes getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and engaging in physical activities. Emotional self-care tips include self-acceptance and learning to appreciate yourself and your needs. Put on your oxygen mask first.

3. Struggle Makes You More Confident and Humble in Your Ability to Weather the Storms

The story of the struggling butterfly paints a perfect picture of how struggles are an integral part of life. It shows how difficulties along the way help strengthen your resolve and brace you for bigger storms ahead.

A gardener saw a butterfly laying some eggs and took an interest in a particular egg. He began to notice the egg moving and shaking a little. Here was an opportunity to see life brought forth before his eyes, and he watched for hours as the egg began to expand. Cracks started to develop, and he could see the head and antennae as the pupa struggled to come out of the egg.

As he saw the struggling little creature, he took mercy on it and decided to help it by breaking the egg with his forceps. Long story short, the pupa did make it out of the egg, but it never grew to become a fully-fledged butterfly. Denying it, the struggle of breaking out of the egg on its own made it weak, and it died after four weeks.

Just like the young pupa, your life struggles are only building your confidence and preparing you for tougher challenges ahead. If you take the easy way out, you will enjoy instant gratification but limit your own growth. Embracing your circumstances will make you stronger and help you appreciate life more. As you face struggles, you will learn your strengths and weaknesses. You will also learn to accept things you can’t control.

Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions,” and he was right.

Going through challenges in life requires both physical and mental strength. Although you can’t control what happens to you, you can change your attitude and choose your response. Changing how you look at things will enable you to master change instead of allowing it to master you. Mastering change will make you more confident and less afraid of what life throws your way.

Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t—you’re right” . A study published in a journal of the Association for Psychological Science supports this statement. According to the study , people who believe they could learn from their mistakes fare better than others after making mistakes. Your attitude determines your level of success.

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.” ― Thomas Paine

4. Struggle, if You Never Forget It, Can Help You Stay Grounded

Change and uncertainty can make you feel like things are spinning out of control. When things are bad, keeping a calm head is a challenge as your mind is constantly racing. If you lack experience in dealing with difficult situations, you can easily get lost in the maze. The current Coronavirus pandemic is a perfect example of how change and uncertainty can lead to fear and panic. It has taught us that everyone reacts differently in challenging situations.

While the pandemic is a challenge, it is also an opportunity. If you’re able to stay grounded, you will emerge out of the crisis stronger and able to overcome similar challenges in the future.  The coronavirus crisis has not made the world unpredictable. It has only revealed how uncertain and unpredictable life is.

Challenges and change are inevitable. The best you can do is embrace them and allow them to become your teacher. Tackling challenging situations will keep you grounded as you recognize that there’s always room for improvement and more to learn.

The story of Abraham Lincoln can teach us many life lessons. But most of all, it teaches us the importance of being humble. Lincoln is arguably one of the most iconic presidents of the United States and is revered for his modesty and deep-seated humility. He was a leader who was willing to admit his shortcomings, accept his mistakes, and learn from them.

Lincoln’s road to the white house was riddled with failures and disappointments. As a child, his family was forced to move out of their home because of land disputes, and his mother died shortly after when he was merely nine years old. He tried his hand at business and failed multiple times and experienced financial struggles that drove him to the verge of mental dissipation.

Yet despite all his failures, he still managed to stand on his feet, dust himself up and take charge of his destiny. He sought to improve his life through constant learning and self-reflection. When the going gets tough, being fully present will help keep you grounded. Take control of your emotions and focus your mind and energy on things you can control. 

5. Struggle Imbibes in You a Respecting and Helpful Attitude Towards Our Fellow Beings

Experiencing adversity in life can make you more respectful and helpful towards others. If you have experienced pain, it is easier to understand another person’s pain. According to Dr. Sood , adversity breeds compassion . Several studies have revealed that experiencing hardships is a catalyst for developing empathy for others . These studies show that people with low socioeconomic status develop feelings of compassion when responding to the suffering of others.

They are also able to determine the emotional state of others with better accuracy. Such individuals also exhibited more prosocial behavior and have more motivation to connect with others compared to their counterparts with higher socioeconomic status.

“The struggle of life is one of our greatest blessings. It makes us patient, sensitive, and Godlike…” – Helen Keller

Battling life struggles gives you valuable experience. You can understand situations and people better as you compare their battles with your own experiences. When you meet people in a similar predicament, you are in a better position to help since you have walked the same path before. You will also feel closer to people with whom you have experienced struggles together. For instance, buddies who served in the army together will experience a special bond.

Oprah Winfrey experienced a tumultuous childhood. She was raised by her grandmother, whose only ambition for her granddaughter was for her to become a domestic worker. She was first raped by her 19-year-old cousin at the tender age of nine and would experience other instances of sexual abuse at the hands of men over the years. Despite her traumatic experiences, she has gone on to become one of the richest and influential women leaders of our time and is widely recognized for her deep compassion.

Throwing resources at a problem often covers up inefficiencies and prevents creative solutions . According to research, people who struggle with a problem without seeking assistance from others record better performance the second time they face the obstacle than those who didn’t struggle. Experts refer to this phenomenon as a productive failure . 

When you experience hardships and failures, there’s no reason for feeling pessimistic or depressed. Take each obstacle as an opportunity to learn more and improve yourself. Identify where you made a mistake and make adjustments to prevent the problem from recurring in the future.

If you find yourself in a difficult situation with no end in sight, you’re exactly where you need to be. Hard work and persistence during this trying period will toughen you up, build your character, and enhance your relationship with other people. Struggle (whether of our choice or not) can help us discover much more about ourselves and what we are capable of.

Excellent Article on how to be successful during adversity. Very informative. Thank you for all the resources.

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• Why True Joy and Real Happiness Doesn't Come from Winning But From A Dignified Struggle? | Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] whether I have found victory in the end or not. There have been moments when I have felt completely…
• The Only Real Opponent You Have, In Work or in Life, Is Yourself | | Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to…
• The Small Big by Steve J Martin, Noah J Goldstein, and Robert B Cialdini | | Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] should understand that mistakes are the stepping-stones to success and that mistakes should never be ignored. Organizational […]
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• 10 Powerful Questions to Understand and Connect with Others on a Deeper Level Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] biggest lessons and opportunities often come out of deep relationships with others. We interact with many people […]
• The Wright Brothers by David McCullough – Book Review & Summary Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] successful story has a history of struggles, untold tragedies and much-needed failures. However, every successful story also has a…
• Team of Rivals (2005) by Doris K. Goodwin – Book Review & Summary Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] tragedy kept rearing its ugly face, a few years later, Lincoln’s sister Sarah Lincoln, died due to […]
• 8 Reasons We Should Know Our Values, Worth, and Purpose Deploy Yourself - by Sumit Gupta - […] and your possessions. Instead of focusing on the never-ending climb of achievement, focus on the inner struggles that challenge…

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Essay Samples on Struggle

Life experience of loneliness.

Talking to new people and making friends is something I’ve always struggled with. Even the thought of being surrounded by strangers and having to hold a conversation gives me shivers. I’ve never been good at talking to people and confidence wasn’t something that I’d ever...

Attracting Happiness: Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

“No such thing as a life that is better than yours.” From J.Cole’s song, “Love Yourz”, my interpretation of this lyric is that each individual is faced with their own adversities in life. Every effort made to overcome these adversities is your pursuit towards happiness....

• Opportunity

Man's Search For Meaning By Viktor Frankl: Finding Your Own Purpose Of Life Despite Everything

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl wrote a book as a victim of the Holocaust, called, Man’s Search of Meaning. The book is about finding the underlying concept of the purpose of life. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human...

• Man's Search For Meaning

Personal Reflection on the Psychological Theme in Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Frankl dives into life in a concentration camp, careful to not to give a linear narrative of his own experience unless needed. Frankl was able to explain the daily camp struggles and how that affected the mental state of his fellow prisoner, giving details of...

• Nazi Concentration Camps

Depiction of the After War Struggles in the Documentary Battle of Algiers

“The Battle of Algiers” is a dramatized documentary that showcases the post war struggles of the Algerian public who want to free themselves from French colonial rule. The French did not respond very well to this and reacted very aggressively and brutal to try and...

• Battle of Algiers
• Documentary

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Struggles Exchange Students Have to Go Through in a Different Country

Introduction Ever wonder what goes on inside a foreign exchange students mind? If so, you might be thinking, how are they able to adapt? Or what challenges might they face while studying abroad in a different country? For this qualitative research assignment, we decided to...

• Exchange Student
• Studying Abroad

East of Eden: The Collective Struggles of Humankind

For in this story of a family’s two generations and its eventual success in overcoming the forces of an inherited evil. Steinbeck the author presents the dramatic theme of the struggle between good and evil in the history of the human race and it being...

• East of Eden
• John Steinbeck

Famous Stories of Success in the Face of Struggles

There is no evidence of any personality who succeeded a great deal in life without experience or practice. Most of the accomplished people that we hear of today have spent years of their time working hard and making smart and calculated choices with clear objectives...

The Struggles of Schizophrenia Patients and Possible Medicine to Help

“I would hear him talking to himself at night when I was laying in my bed” my mom said when I asked her about her brother, whom I have never met and only have seen one picture of. He became a ward of the state...

• Mental Disorder
• Schizophrenia

Summary of Eveline by James Joyce: The Burdens of Past

This is a story which tells about a young woman named Eveline who is from Dublin. She is currently taking care of her father and her brother since her mother has passed away. Eveline is in love with a young man named Frank, he is...

Indecisiveness in James Joyce's Novel Eveline

James Joyce shows the struggle of paralysis and inaction in making changes in his character’s life. Eveline is a very static character. We believe that Eveline is truly going to make the decision to leave with Frank to another country; but as we come to...

Identifying Changes in Muhammad Ali Public Person

Identifying changes in Ali’s public persona is one thing historians have significantly argued throughout history. Previous historians have argued that many athletes and entertainers before Muhammad Ali adopted new names, often to make themselves more relatable or more exciting to audiences. The argument with Ali’s...

• Famous Person
• Muhammad Ali

Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston: Racial Struggle in Twentieth Century

Zora Neale Hurston, an African American author, portrays the racial struggles of her time in a racist, systematic society in the 20th century. In her short story, “Sweat”, she conveys many thematic and literary techniques such as allusion, symbolism, and imagery, through the African American...

• 20Th Century
• Zora Neale Hurston

The Struggles Faced by Peru's Population Through the Years

Peru, a South Latin American country, lies south of the equator and on the western part of the continent bordered by Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Bolivia and the Pacific Ocean. It measures approximately 1,285,216 sq. km. with a diverse habitat that varies from the high Andes...

The Jungle: Life Struggles in 1900's America

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair started a lot of change in America in the early 1900’s. The book did a great job highlighting the issues at the time. Not only did it focus on the struggles of being a new immigrant in the United States,...

• Upton Sinclair

Nickel and Dimed: The Struggle of Low Wage Americans

Do you know how people manage to live with minimum wage? Well in the book Nickel and Dimed Barbara Ehrenreich takes you on her journey to show what it is like for the average low wage American. In this nonfiction passage you will find uniques...

• Nickel and Dimed

The Call of the Wild: A Struggle for Freedom

‘The Call of the Wild’ is a book by Jack London that is set in the midst of the gold discovery that influenced large masses of people to travel into Canada's regions hunting for gold. The narration follows Bucks story in his journey as a...

• Call of The Wild

The Tragedy and Struggle of History of Polish Jews

This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of one of the world's most known extermination camps - Auschwitz-Birkenau, despite the passage of so many years on the international scene, there are still many inaccuracies that cause frustration among Poles. Each subsequent appearance and...

• Polish History

The Grapes of Wrath: The Struggles of a Family of Immigrants

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck is about a family that moves from Oklahoma to California. as a migrant family moving from Oklahoma to California the roads were miners. When they get there, Tom finds Ma and Pa Joad packing up a few possessions....

Sruggles for the World: The Revolution of Norms

In “The Struggle for the World”, Lindholm and Zúquete examine the similarities among aurora movements even though they manifest themselves in different ways (Lindholm & Zúquete, 2010). Aurora movements become known as political organizations and social movements that take a stand against capitalist globalization as...

• Civil Rights Movement
• Social Problems

Struggle of Persistance and Overcoming the Fear of Religious Faith

Faith can be influenced by the people we surround ourselves with, the religions we grew up with, particular things we believe in, and all of them define us based on the degree of our confidence in faith. Founded on all these fragments of our life...

The Class Sruggle: Victimization of Lower Class Men and Women

This study focuses on the victimization of men and women of lower class who are exploited by the powerful based on their wealth and ‘material production’ which leads the ‘subordinate classes to engage in a struggle for economic, political, and social advantage’. It can be...

Struggle In A Film 'Freedom Writers'

“When you’re struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it’s just as hard as what you’re going through.” ― Nicholas Sparks, Dear John. In the movie Freedom...

• Freedom Writers

A Literary Comparison of the Struggles of Japan's Christians

Two Empires In Japan and The Christian Confrontation with Shinto NationalismTwo Empires In Japan by John M.L. Young and The Christian Confrontation with Shinto Nationalism by Kun Sam Lee were the two books I used for this topic. The former, an intimate 100 year chronicle...

Best topics on Struggle

1. Life Experience Of Loneliness

2. Attracting Happiness: Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

3. Man’s Search For Meaning By Viktor Frankl: Finding Your Own Purpose Of Life Despite Everything

4. Personal Reflection on the Psychological Theme in Man’s Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl

5. Depiction of the After War Struggles in the Documentary Battle of Algiers

6. Struggles Exchange Students Have to Go Through in a Different Country

7. East of Eden: The Collective Struggles of Humankind

8. Famous Stories of Success in the Face of Struggles

9. The Struggles of Schizophrenia Patients and Possible Medicine to Help

10. Summary of Eveline by James Joyce: The Burdens of Past

11. Indecisiveness in James Joyce’s Novel Eveline

12. Identifying Changes in Muhammad Ali Public Person

13. Sweat by Zora Neale Hurston: Racial Struggle in Twentieth Century

14. The Struggles Faced by Peru’s Population Through the Years

15. The Jungle: Life Struggles in 1900’s America

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• Personal Experience
• Perseverance
• Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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Student Essay: The Value of Struggle

I am proud of my strong faith now but this doesn’t mean I didn’t struggle with it. But at the end of the day, I found no one more reliable than god to complain to as well as seek strength from. But no matter how many questions I asked, I always found an answer in my faith. It’s as if god was there watching out for me even if I was not aware of it. But in high school, I finally realized god wanted me to grow up by making me go through difficult times for a reason.

Young people are often careless due to lack of life experiences and immaturity. They tend to underestimate the risk they usually take. Most of my friends as well as significant number of other students started engaging in risky activities such as smoking, underage drinking, and some even went as far as experimenting with casual drugs. As a result, their studies suffered. As I looked around myself, I realized I would have been doing the same things were it not for the greater appreciation for life I had developed. I knew more than most of my friends that actions and events are rarely without consequences.

I still wish my father was alive but I also know he is watching over me from above. Through my experiences, I have also learnt that god’s way of showing love is not always apparent and may even be tougher but there is always a reason which sometimes reveals itself over time. Had I not gone through the experiences, I would not be this mature and probably not even this motivated to do well in life. Once a person has seen a difficult life, there is only room for improvement. I am determined to make up for everything I missed as a child and I have greater confidence that my fate lies in my hands as compared to many of my counterparts. Similarly, I am also determined to do something for the unprivileged members of the society because after all, who can understand their struggles better than me.

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Student short essay: “Life: full of challenges”

Life, in its infinite wisdom and complexity, is a beautiful paradox. It is a harmonious blend of joy and sorrow, triumph and defeat, comfort and hardship. It is a journey that is not always easy, fraught with problems and challenges that test our mettle and resilience. Yet, it is in facing these challenges with courage and fortitude that we discover the true beauty of life. This beauty, much like a soothing balm, eases our pain during trying times, providing a beacon of hope that guides us through the darkest nights.

The duality of life is evident in the coexistence of happiness and sorrow, victory and defeat, day and night. These are but two sides of the same coin, a testament to the balance that governs our existence. Life is a rich tapestry of moments – moments of joy, pleasure, success, and comfort, interspersed with periods of misery, defeat, failures, and problems. There is no individual, no matter how strong, powerful, wise, or affluent, who has been spared from the trials and tribulations of life.

Life, in all its beauty, is a celebration of existence, a tribute to the miracle of being alive. Yet, it is essential to be prepared to face adversity and challenges. Success is often the offspring of struggle and hardship. A person who has not weathered the storms of life, who has not tasted the bitterness of failure, can never truly appreciate the sweetness of success. Difficulties serve as a crucible, testing our courage , patience, perseverance, and revealing the true character that lies within us.

Adversity and hardship are the forge that tempers our spirit, making us strong and resilient, equipping us to face life’s challenges with equanimity. There is an undeniable truth in the adage that there can be no gain without pain. Success is the fruit of labor, nourished and sustained by the sweat of our brow and the toil of our hands.

Just as visionary architects , who dare to dream the unimaginable and ingeniously utilize every available piece of technology to bring their visions to life, we too must harness our inner strength and creativity to overcome life’s challenges.

Life is not merely a bed of roses; it is a garden where thorns grow alongside the flowers. The thorns are as much a part of life as the roses, and we must accept them with the same grace with which we embrace the beautiful aspects of life. The thorns serve as a reminder that success and happiness can be elusive.

Instead of succumbing to disappointment and despair, we should remember that the pain inflicted by the thorns is fleeting, and the beauty of life will soon eclipse the sting of the thorns.

Those who harbor the illusion that life is a bed of roses are soon disillusioned, falling prey to depression and frustration. The ones who face difficulties with courage, who accept success without letting it inflate their ego, are the ones who experience genuine happiness, contentment, and peace in life.

Those who believe that good times are eternal are prone to crumble under the weight of difficulties. They falter in their efforts and hard work, succumbing to pressure. Consider the example of a student who burns the midnight oil, makes sacrifices, and resists temptations to excel in his endeavors.

Similarly, a successful executive must navigate the highs and lows of life, remembering that life is a blend of success and failure, joy, and sorrow. If he loses hope during challenging times, he will not achieve success and will be replaced by others. Even the mightiest kings and emperors have had their share of troubles.

Life has not been a bed of roses for them. The adage “uneasy lays the head that wears the crown” has been aptly used for people who are successful and wield power and authority.

Life is beauteous just as roses, but it has challenges which are like thorns and have to be faced and overcome by all. Those who accept these challenges and succeed are the ones who know how to live life in its true sense. Thus, enjoy life but also be prepared to bear the pricks of pain.

Bottom Line

In the grand tapestry of life, challenges are not mere obstacles but stepping stones that lead us to the path of growth and enlightenment. They shape our character, strengthen our resolve, and instill in us a sense of resilience . So, let’s embrace these challenges, for they are the threads that add depth and color to the fabric of our existence.

Remember, it’s not the absence of storms that makes a good sailor, but the courage to face them head-on. Life, indeed, is full of challenges, and it’s our response to them that defines our journey.

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• / Life Is a Struggle

Life Is a Struggle

Essay by people   •  June 3, 2011  •  Essay  •  310 Words (2 Pages)  •  6,299 Views

Essay Preview: Life Is a Struggle

The days are so short for an ordinary people. Every day, they work from morning to evening. Why are they working every day? Certainly, we are trying to survive and progress our lives. Everybody has everything to think such as personal problems, official matters and so much. We face hard times and this is realistic for everyone. However, there are many cases to understand and do. Of course! We find our life to be convenience and comfortable. But how can we? It is easier said than done. We should take a bit more ways to run.

As we know, life is not made up of happy endings. We always fight difficulties and try to understand it. Nobody wish to fail in their life, indeed, they are ever going under. Why? People don't want any sorrow in their life. In fact, they are not going to their destination and making nothing to step. It seems like a man who climbs up the tree and down with nothing in his hand. We give many reasons for our slip; however, don't try to find the answers. Sometime, we are commented and pointed to our weakness and disinformation. Really, we are the slave of fortune and we can't stop it because it is life. For some people life is easy and great but some are not. For them, life is a breeze and a happiness place.

On the other hand, some are suffering hopeless future and can't escape. So they want help to fight their misfortune. They're looking for a new leaf. We can imagine that it is the first step to future. We shouldn't give up our lives easily so that we'll have a great life after all. Besides, the sadness will disappear not only in our surroundings but also in our family. Absolutely, we cannot know everything enough to avoid falling under.

Challenges of Life, Mental Illness, or Both? Therapy Considerations

The tangled interactions between relationships and mental health..

Posted June 24, 2024 | Reviewed by Michelle Quirk

• What Is Therapy?
• Take our Do I Need Therapy?
• Find a therapist near me
• Health insurance often requires a diagnosis of a mental health condition for therapy coverage.
• It can be difficult to determine what is related to a condition like depression versus a reaction to life.
• Interpersonal and family therapies focus on relationships to improve mental health symptoms.

Therapists often have the honor of being invited into a window peering into some of the darkest moments of our clients' lives. And, of course, we are also humans ourselves, who experience our life's pain. One difficult element in therapy is diagnosis.

For health insurance to cover psychotherapy , there typically must be a diagnosis of a mental health condition such as generalized anxiety disorder or major depression . Yet, often, what leads people to therapy is not mental illness but the challenges of life. Challenges such as grief , relationship difficulties, abandonment, a diagnosis of physical health illness, or caring for a loved one with an illness are common reasons for seeking therapy.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders does allow for a diagnosis code of "adjustment disorder" for individuals struggling with life changes, yet, according to the criteria, the response to the change must be "out of proportion" to the stressor (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Who is to say what is out of proportion? It can be difficult to draw a line between recognizing needs and pathologizing normal.

Sometimes Both

What is even more tricky is when a person living with a mental health condition encounters a significant life event. The event can trigger a natural response, as well as mental health symptoms. For example, after a breakup, someone with depression might feel the heartbreak anyone would, and the breakup could also trigger or worsen a depressive episode.

To make matters even more blurry, according to the stress -diathesis model of mental disorders, it seems that when struck with enough stress, any person who had been at risk for a mental health condition through genetics or similar could be at higher risk of illness onset. Research targeting psychosis and schizophrenia has suggested that interactions between stress and associated pituitary, inflammatory, and neurobiological reactions may play a role in the initial onset of psychosis (Pruessner et al., 2017).

Similar findings have been made regarding depression, with research discovering an interplay between polygenic risk scores (a person's known genetic vulnerability to depression based on genetic markers) and life events in whether a person develops depression (Colodro-Conde et al., 2018).

Evidence supports a model of mental health conditions as complex conditions with biological, psychological, and social dimensions. Further, it is critical that the mental health field not minimize the emotions felt in the process of life by those with mental illness, even when it is difficult to determine what role, if any, one's mental health condition might have in their suffering.

How can we deal with this?

Interpersonal Therapy

Most psychotherapy takes an individual-based approach, focusing on things as one's own beliefs, thoughts, and emotions. Yet, individuals exist within systems wherein relationships are central. Feeling connected is an important part of mental health for almost everyone.

Interpersonal therapies take an approach that openly acknowledges the ways that mental health and social health affect each other. In interpersonal therapy, a person is given a space to explore things like grief, role transitions, and conflicts that might be affecting their mental health. If someone's social system is lacking or they are struggling with how to go about specific social tasks like making friends or assertiveness , interpersonal therapy can also work on skills development.

While interpersonal therapy is usually done in individual settings, a person's relationships are a central area of exploration.

Family Therapy

Family interventions can directly target a person's relationships in the therapy room, with the family becoming the client. When a person is living with a mental health condition, it can affect the entire family, and the stress of the family can affect both the individual diagnosed with the condition and the course of their condition.

Even in schizophrenia, a condition believed to be at least, in part, neurological in nature, research has shown that high levels of expressed emotion can hurt the illness and that family therapy can often make a meaningful difference in outcomes (Girhar et al., 2024). Research has also shown the positive results of family therapy in the treatment of a multitude of other conditions, including adolescent depression (Jiuju et al., 2022).

Still, family therapy is not routinely offered in mental health care.

In Conclusion

It can be difficult to untangle the web between our internal experiences and the alterations made by life and relationships. Diagnosis of a mental health condition makes this even more complex. Interpersonal and family therapies, which focus on relationships and mental health, may be underutilized interventions to improve these areas of well-being.

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596

Colodro-Conde, L., Couvy-Duchesne, B., Zhu, G., Coventry, W. L., Byrne, E. M., Gordon, S., ... & Martin, N. G. (2018). A direct test of the diathesis–stress model for depression. Molecular Psychiatry , 23 (7), 1590–1596.

Girdhar, A., Patil, R., & Bezalwar, A. (2024). Understanding the Dynamics: A Comprehensive Review of Family Therapy’s Impact on Expressed Emotions in Schizophrenia Patients. Cureus , 16 (5).

Jiuju, L. I., Shuping, T. A. N., Yanli, Z. H. A. O., Yin, Q. I., ZHANG, F., Huaqing, L. I. U., & Lina, L. I. (2022). The effect of mentalization-based family therapy on adolescents with depressive disorder and its related brain regions. Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science , 43–49.

Pruessner, M., Cullen, A. E., Aas, M., & Walker, E. F. (2017). The neural diathesis-stress model of schizophrenia revisited: An update on recent findings considering illness stage and neurobiological and methodological complexities. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews , 73 , 191–218.

Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW, is a psychotherapist based in Southern Illinois who specializes in psychosis, mood disorders, and young adult mental health.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Struggle — About Struggling In School: My Expirience

About Struggling in School: My Expirience

• Categories: High School Personal Experience Struggle

About this sample

Words: 727 |

Published: May 19, 2020

Words: 727 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Works Cited

• Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Ballantine Books.
• Duckworth, A. L. (2016). Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance. Scribner.
• Sood, A. (2018). The Mayo Clinic Guide to Stress-Free Living. Da Capo Lifelong Books.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
• Covey, S. R. (2013). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. Touchstone.
• Pink, D. H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Riverhead Books.
• Goleman, D. (2006). Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam.
• Duckworth, A. L., Peterson, C., Matthews, M. D., & Kelly, D. R. (2007). Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Journal of personality and social psychology, 92(6), 1087-1101.
• Duckworth, A. L., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Self-control and grit: Related but separable determinants of success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 23(5), 319-325.
• Yeager, D. S., Purdie-Vaughns, V., Garcia, J., Apfel, N., Brzustoski, P., Master, A., ... & Cohen, G. L. (2014). Breaking the cycle of mistrust: Wise interventions to provide critical feedback across the racial divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(2), 804-824.

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He never saw himself as disadvantaged. Then the government had him write an essay.

It had never occurred to Curtis Joachim to blame racism for his professional setbacks until an SBA application forced him to think differently about his life.

Curtis Joachim sat at his computer, searching for the words to prove his disadvantage.

It was summer 2023, and a federal judge had just ruled that a government program for minority contractors could no longer automatically accept participants like Joachim. For the first time in the program’s 45-year history, simply being Black was not enough to qualify as “socially disadvantaged” — a key requirement to receive set-asides for lucrative government contracts. Now Joachim, an accountant, had to document his struggles.

He had to write an essay.

So Joachim began examining his life through the prism of disadvantage. It was new terrain for the 56-year-old Marine Corps veteran and longtime entrepreneur, a man who had instinctively equated success with merit.

As he sat down to write, he thought about his many setbacks: the missed promotions, the bankruptcies, the second jobs he took to make ends meet. No matter how hard he had worked, he now realized, there had always been some resistance, almost like an “invisible force” holding him back.

And then it struck him: “It could have been different if I was not a Black man.”

Joachim was writing the essay because of a decision several weeks earlier by a federal judge in Tennessee. A White woman had challenged the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development program , one of the government’s defining affirmative action programs, which certifies businesses as “disadvantaged” so they can pursue federal contracts set aside for minority-owned businesses. Last year, more than a dozen agencies disbursed $24.4 billion through the 8(a) pipeline.

Joachim said the program changed the course of his life, allowing him to win more than $32 million in accounting and auditing contracts over the past decade from the departments of Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, among others. The experience gave him the foundation to pursue other government work and increase his staff to 15.

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But now, the judge said, the program could no longer admit applicants based solely on their racial identity. Instead, every applicant would have to offer a narrative of disadvantage, one that demonstrated how their identity set them back.

Since last June, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down race-based college admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s most selective universities have been forced to undergo a similar transformation. Applicants can no longer expect special consideration on the basis of their race, though they can use their personal essays to discuss how race has shaped their experiences .

The Harvard-UNC decision touched off a broader shift in the way institutions approach diversity . In the corporate world and government contracting, as well as higher education, explicit preferences for people of certain races or ethnicities are giving way to processes that focus on the totality of an applicant’s character, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at New York University.

Glasgow said he expects to “see more of that kind of individualized essay-based assessment, in part because the Supreme Court has foreclosed the more direct demographic approaches.”

For the 4,800 businesses that participate in the 8(a) program, the court ruling last July touched off a frenzy. The SBA trained additional staff to review the essays that were now pouring in from participants. Lawyers hired by applicants to help complete their narratives said the process sowed confusion — and dredged up past trauma.

Nicole Pottroff, a partner at the law firm Koprince McCall Pottroff, said many applicants drew upon such severe experiences as “sexual harassment, blatant racism — things that were very hurtful to the individual telling the story.”

“Most of this is painful,” Pottroff said. “They’re hoping to repress a lot of these memories.”

In his essay, Joachim needed to describe two episodes when he experienced discrimination to establish what the SBA called “chronic and substantial social disadvantage.” Pottroff worked with Joachim to identify the incidents, which could have taken place during his education, his employment or in his business history.

He chose to write about his time in the military.

Joachim wrote that he had been a “Poster Marine” who spit shined his boots every night, kept his hair “high and tight,” and earned his sergeant’s stripes in just under three years — it typically takes four to five — while attending college at night and competing as a power weightlifter. He had been named Marine of the Month, then Service Member of the Year, the essay said.

None of it was enough to qualify him for the officers training program, which would have provided him with a college education and propelled him into the commissioned officer ranks. Instead, he wrote, a White Marine had been selected.

“It was my lifelong dream to be a Marine Officer,” he wrote, “but that dream was crushed because of the color of my skin.”

For his second incident, Joachim wrote about how, about a decade later after discharge, he repeatedly had been passed over for promotions while working as a civilian with the U.S. Army Audit Agency in Germany. White peers moved to bigger roles, he wrote, even though he was sure he performed better.

“Given my success and incredibly (nearly excessive) hard work — race again was the only ‘advantage’ they all had over me at that time,” he wrote. “And apparently that was a significant enough ‘advantage’ to promote them three years before me.”

Joachim had not always seen things this way. It had not occurred to him to blame racism when he was rejected for the officers training program or missed out on promotions.

“I never saw myself as disadvantaged,” he said. “To me, it was America. You roll your sleeves up and you work hard, and you get there.”

But writing the essay forced him to examine his life through a different lens. He found the idea that his skin color may have contributed to his many setbacks upsetting. It upended his belief that success was just a matter of hard work and perseverance.

The anecdotes in his essay, he wrote, “are just the tip of the iceberg as to the racism and social disadvantage I have faced in this country from the early days of my youth, through my education and career, and through my business history.”

A hard charger

Joachim was 15 when he first landed in the United States in 1984, traveling from Dominica with five siblings to reunite with their father in Brooklyn. Any fears he had about his new country were quickly overtaken by excitement and the sense of limitless possibility it could bring. Because he wasn’t yet a U.S. citizen and college was out of reach, Joachim enlisted in the Marine Corps.

Friends who served with Joachim at Camp Lejeune, N.C., described him as a “hard charger” and a “Marine’s Marine.”

“He was always number one,” said Wayne Jackson, one of Joachim’s roommates. “He was the rabbit that everybody chased.”

Jackson, who is Black, said racism was a “reality” in the Marines when he served, though he believes the branch has since made progress. Another roommate, Jimmy Tran, agreed, noting that his peers often ribbed him about his Vietnamese heritage.

Still, both said making the leap from enlisted man to officer would have been difficult for anyone, no matter how talented. And Joachim faced an especially big hurdle, they said, because he did not have a college degree at the time.

By 1995, having received his U.S. citizenship in the military, Joachim decided to return to civilian life. He sold perfume, first in Virginia Beach and then in Mobile, Ala., for a multilevel marketing company but went bankrupt after his operation collapsed. He worked at a fast-food chain while also loading trucks at a Coca-Cola warehouse.

In all of his endeavors, Joachim was intent on becoming “financially free” and going into business for himself, said his ex-wife, April Joachim.

He got a step closer to that goal in 1998, when he earned a business administration degree from the University of Dubuque in Iowa and went straight to work for the Army Audit Agency in Germany. Though he eventually was made a supervisor and led teams that audited the efficiency of military supply routes during conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq, his career plateaued.

In 2004, his work with the audit agency took him to Fort Monroe, Va., where he began selling homes on the side. Taking his cues from Robert Kiyosaki, the real estate guru known for his get-rich-quick seminars , Joachim decided it was time to work for himself. He resigned from the Army Audit Agency and started his own accounting firm, as well as a mortgage company.

Then in 2008, the housing market crashed, ushering in the Great Recession. With his business underwater, Joachim filed for bankruptcy. He managed to find some accounting work for struggling small businesses, while also stocking shelves overnight at Walmart.

As the economy began to recover, Joachim found work for a contractor serving the U.S. Coast Guard, which eventually awarded him a subcontract. It was the break he needed, the launchpad to qualify for the 8(a) program, which “put me in a position to compete” by giving him access to the initial contracts he would need to build credibility with government agencies and fellow contractors, he said.

Suddenly contracts were easier to come by. His accounting firm, the Joachim Group, flourished. He settled on 10 acres in Southern Virginia and sent his son and daughter to college.

In his essay, Joachim reflected on that turnaround.

“The 8(a) Program is one of the only things in my life that has even remotely worked to begin to level the playing field for me as a man in a historically white man’s business world,” he wrote.

Affirmative action programs like 8(a) were designed to recognize past discrimination and “try to make up for that in some ways — without sticking it in your face,” he said. But the process of writing the essay — of having to relive those painful experiences — “forces you to focus on that and think of yourself as a second-class citizen.”

Five days after submitting his essay last August, the SBA accepted it, allowing Joachim to remain in the program for a 10th and final year.

Last month, he “graduated” from 8(a). From now on, the government will no longer classify him as “disadvantaged.”

Now, it’s “sink or swim,” he said. “And, by golly, we’re going to swim.”