As we grow old, we find out that for us to grow up, we need to go through a few humbling experiences along the way. Humbling experiences are profound happenings in our lives that in their own ways have changed us for the better. Have you heard of the quote “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”? That is more or less a metaphor of what we are going to be talking about.
Humbling experiences are the reasons why songs get more meaningful, why movies resonate deeply, or why we make better decisions than our younger selves. Here are 10 humbling experiences that will surely make us stronger.
Rejection
Rejection probably deserves its very own article for it’s an experience so profound that it changes us deeply. In short, rejection plays a huge role in making us wiser, stronger, and better as a person.
We are referring to rejection in romantic relationships, jobs, and in our pursuit of passion.
Rejection is quite painful relative to what we were rejected for but everyone experiences it, some even on a daily basis. People take rejection on their own terms. For some, it even leads to the abandonment of dreams and aspirations. It makes us realize what’s worth fighting for.
It’s also important to know that rejection is not failure, it’s only another opportunity to try harder and in the process, we improve ourselves. This is where growth begins and strength of character develops.
Financial Troubles
You’re lucky if you can say to yourself that you haven’t had any financial struggles at any point in your life. It may seem a superficial issue to some, but it’s not. Money problems affect our life decisions tremendously.
This is not just one humbling experience but it teaches us a lot of life lessons, as well. One example is knowing how to value the things we gain moving forward.
Discovering Love’s Real Meaning
Having to love someone deeply is another profound journey that we experience in the course of our lives. The thing is, love and pain come hand in hand. When there’s pain, there’s growth, so you see how that can make someone a lot stronger coming out of a profound relationship.
What we thought at first as love when we were younger or at the start of a relationship was merely infatuation. As years go by, we discover that love entails sacrifice and commitment and by that realization, we become a better person, if not a better partner.
Being heartbroken is one way to become a better lover, but we don’t need to experience an end to a relationship in order to be one. Love is a journey best shared with a life partner, after all. We are not solely talking about romance but also love and sacrifice towards friends and family.
The moment we realize that we have someone to die for is a massively defining moment in our lives.
Realizing Your Worth
Have you ever felt like you were stuck in an unrewarding job? Or maybe in a relationship where you weren’t getting much respect? The moment that you realize that you deserve better and call it quits is another huge defining moment in our lives.
The challenge to face a new world i.e. a new job, passion, or partner can be humbling as we realize that there are no guarantees this time. We’re out of our comfort zone and we need to present the best version of ourselves once again to be accepted.
Little do we know that these are the times that we experience so much growth.
Learning To Deal With an Unfair World
Don’t believe anyone that says that they haven’t failed at anything. That just means that they haven’t tried, period. Have you ever thought of giving up? You’re still here, so the answer is probably no.
We may have retreated a few times but we haven’t given up on our dreams and aspirations. Most of the time, the reason why someone thinks about giving up is that life can be too hard and unfair.
And, that’s true, life is hard and unfair. No one said that it would be easy. Realizing this fundamental truth about life can be empowering in a weird way. From here, we learn that it’s all about learning how to dance in the rain.
Being Deeply Hurt by Someone We Truly Love
Being hurt by someone we truly love, like a romantic partner, best friend, or family is such a profound experience that no doubt will change us as a person and consequently alter our outlook on life.
We now see the world in a slightly different light and we know of possibilities that we couldn’t have fathomed before. Knowing that no matter how much we dedicate ourselves to a person, that in one way or another, we can be hurt or betrayed by someone we love seeps deep into who we are.
Do we come out better in the experience? Definitely. It’s all a question of how much we learn from mistakes.
Losing Friends
The moment we stand witness to the saying that people come and go is the moment we realize that we are now pretty strong individuals. We gain friends along the way and we will lose a lot of them too.
Realizing that it’s all right for them to go is a pretty good sign of our maturity. Friends may leave our lives for no reason at all and that’s okay, there’s always room for more. You can never have enough.
Your Contemporaries Have Found More Success
The moment we can relate to the word adulting is the moment we realize that we are indeed adults with serious responsibilities. It’s right about this phase in our lives where our contemporaries, like classmates from before, may get ahead of us. Some may also seem to get left behind.
This can be very humbling, and even frustrating. Know that everyone has got their own pace and leads their own unique lives. It’s really not a race and you define your own success.
Realizing Your Passion
There will come a point in our lives where we realize that we’re no longer happy with what we do but don’t quite understand yet what it is that we really want. Having no sense of direction in terms of our lives can be very humbling.
It’s also an opportunity to learn what we really want to dedicate our lives to. Finding or discovering a brand new passion can be reinvigorating and give us a new perspective.
Doing Things You’re Not Proud Of
Everyone has got skeletons in their closets. No matter how much you uphold integrity and honesty in your daily life, one way or another, we’ve all done things that we may not be proud of. Things that we won’t openly share with someone we don’t dearly trust.
These things will always keep us grounded. Just know that we still have time to make up for it.
Humbling Experiences Teach Us Lessons
They say that life’s greatest teachers are an empty wallet, a broken heart, and failure. No truer words indeed. Amidst the ups and downs, we simply have to learn from our mistakes and vow to be better people after each humbling experience.
Remember that in order to live a more meaningful life, we get stronger not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones and for those who will be a part of it in the future.