It's Andy Fish!

It would be nice if things were easier. It would be nice if they were fair. It would be nice if they were simply what they were advertised.

But we all know they are not. And for most of history they have not been…for some of us more than others.

There was an old expression—true for women, for minorities and other groups—that in order to succeed they had to be twice as good. Meaning that they were held to higher standards, put through more of a ringer, subjected to extra scrutiny. It wasn’t right…but it was a fact.

This is how life goes for everyone, it should be said, even the relatively privileged. We think we know what we need to do. We’re told the rules. We’re told the difficulty. And then you know what? It turns out to be much, much harder. People are going to change those rules at the last minute. The circumstances will conspire to move the goal posts. There will be hidden fees. There are unexpected delays. Obstacles, adversaries, pitfalls, and bad luck. It’s going to be there. It’s going to happen. That’s life, the Stoics say.

It isn’t fair. Some gatekeeper is going to grade you harder than everyone else. And you’ll have to deal with it. You’ll have to reach down and draw from your reserves. You’ll have to be that much better. You’ll have to do that much more.

You can complain. You can quit. Or, you can understand, as Epictetus did—who was certainly persecuted and victimized by fate—that life is pairing you with a strong sparring partner. The name of that partner: Adversity. In fighting on, in beating it, you’ll become that much better.

Twice as good.

From DailyStoic.com reprinted with permission