Pressure is required to make diamonds.

It takes for the diamond a lot of time and pressure to be polished and glint in such a way that its radiance will please all who behold it.

Scorching fire is required to purify gold.

When a baby tries to take his first steps, and fails repeatedly, what do we say to the baby?

‘Stop, you will never walk again’.

Or

‘Try again and again’.

Trials lead us into an incredible version of us.

That is an epic formula that will transform us to the very best of WHAT WE CAN BE.

If we are complacent, we would never grow. If we don’t take risks, we would never know what we could achieve. If we turn our back on the challenges we are facing, we would never know our own strength. If we fear every big mountain that is facing us,we would never know that we can climb those mountains and come out a strong person than we were before. We would never know the true meaning of happiness if we don’t take risks and explore everything.

All worthwhile things come at a price.

The price of taking the difficult road.

But if we are not willing to pay the price, we will never know that worthwhile thing that is waiting for us at the end of the difficult road.

C. G. Jung was right when he said:

“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”

Have you been taking the easy road?

Are you working in a job where you feel comfortable but not to your heart’s desire?

Have you not spoken your feelings to that someone that you love very much?

Are you thinking of giving up on your dreams?

Are you thinking of quitting exercising because it is too hard?

Are you thinking of giving up on your relationship because it has become stale?

Have you given up on managing your outbursts of anger?

Are you still refusing to forgive your friend?

If ‘YES’ is your answer to my above questions, you have willingly taken the easy road.

Have you not read the beautiful poem by Robert Frost entitled ‘The Road Not Taken’?

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

If you want to get the very best from life, you must go and get it.

By that I mean, you must choose to pass through the difficult road. It is through this rough road that you will get to see all beautiful things.

Few people choose this path and those are the ones who have decided to keep going and pushing every kind of obstacle on their way.

Do you want to get the highest paying job in your field?

Then, go and get it. No one is going to give you what you want while you are seating comfortably in your chair.

You reap what you sow.

I am not talking metaphorically. I am talking literally.

Is leaving your comfort zone difficult? Very much so, but it is worth it.

Do you want to speak your feelings to someone?

Then, go ahead and do it. You will not know what the other person thinks and feels without taking this step.

You will always wonder with ‘What if ——-?’ scenarios in your mind because you were scared to speak your mind and chosen the less scary and the easy path.

Choose to speak your mind and be proud of yourself regardless of what that person might say.

You are already a winner.

You have taken the tough path. You have conquered yourself.

Seneca has given us an incredible quote on what I am talking about:

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”

If you are you thinking of giving up on your dreams, ——–

Don’t! That is the easy road.

Fight for yourself.

Are you not the hero in your own story?

Have you ever seen a fictional hero character in TV giving up?

You are much more than the hero’s on your TV.

You are real.

The very challenges you face, the risks you take, the dream you purposely chase, the life you intentionally live, the forgiveness you choose to give (even though it is very very hard)- all these are what will make you live the life that you have always dreamed of.

Stop blaming your circumstances, your boss, your friends, your parents, your significant other, your country, your education and your experience.

You are the reason for every of your successes and failures.

“Don’t be a victim of yourself. Forget about the thief waiting in the alley, what about the thief in your mind?” Jim Rohn

Pay the price, take the difficult road, and then you have a clue of how truly incredible you can become. You won’t know this until you get there.

That is the key formula:

Trials lead us into an incredible version of us.

To Your Inspirations,

Banchi