I use to believe that I would be happy when . . . . I had piles of money, when I was “successful,” when I had ‘X’ amount of friends, when I lived in a certain size house in a particular part of town, when I rubbed shoulders with the elite, when I drove a nice car and on and on and on.

That idea is not only wrong, but extremely unrealistic and downright detrimental to our well-being.

One of the most rich lessons I’ve learned over the years is to embrace the messy. Welcome the arduous. And entertain the chaos. These are where the gems of wisdom lie if you’re willing to look and remove yourself from victimhood.

Let’s not miss out on the most valuable parts of life just because we’re a bit reluctant to lean into the ugly.