I was sitting in class when my professor gave us an article on Muhammad Ali. Everyone groaned about having to read a story about a boxing legend we’ve probably heard and reheard dozens of times in our lives. But, being that I was tired and beaten down (no pun intended) from a long week, there was something about his story that stuck with me. For those of you who aren’t familiar with his life, when Ali was 12 he got his brand new bike stolen, which is pretty shitty news for a 12-year-old. He vowed that if he ever found out who stole his bike he would beat the crap out of them, until his father pointed out the important fact that he doesn’t know the first thing about fighting back.

Long story short, he dedicated his life to learning how to not only defend himself, but to absolutely kick ass and become one of the most well-known and respected athletes. My point here isn’t to give you a history lesson, but to take one seemingly minor detail in a person’s life and emphasize how it shaped history. I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason, whether it’s the good, the bad, and the even worse. Even the smallest most insignificant stroke of bad luck could be the wave that sets the rest of your life in motion.

It seems far-fetched to say that the slightest things could just change your life, but it speaks volumes to the theory that when bad things happen that’s your cue to do something about it. It’s easy to think that the world is out to get you or there’s nothing you can do about getting dealt a bad hand in life, but that’s just not true. Learning to complain less and do more for yourself is a lesson everyone could benefit from, and it’s definitely changed me. When life got too difficult and people became too cold and the world seemed too harsh, I always let it get to me. It’s hard not to. We’re at this weird yet remarkable time in our lives where when things are good you feel unstoppable, but when they go bad it’s soul crushing and earth shattering for no good reason. School, friends, relationships, and unfair aspects of life eventually pile up and drain you in every possible way. And in the midst of all that we are forced to deal with it and go about our day - which is not an easy task at all. But nothing that was worth it ever came easily.

I think right now at this point in time where history is being made and everything seems to be changing around us, it’s important to make the best of ourselves and our lives regardless of anything else. It’s easy to feel disheartened by everything going on in our world right now that we can’t control, but if there’s anything that we can control it’s ourselves. At this point, I've come to appreciate every little thing and even everyone that has knocked me out because otherwise, I would've never learned to get up and hit right back. When everything seems like it's going to shit, recognize the opportunity to do something to improve yourself- instead of stressing about what you can't change. And when life gives you lemons and takes your bike, learn how to fight back.