Sure, we’ve all had those dark days that we would love to forget about. Days of not doing your best, not acting how you should, or making more mistakes than we knew was possible. Even though at the time these all seem like things we’d love to let go of, I think of those as my biggest learning days. Looking back now, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without any of my past mistakes, wrongdoings or life lessons. While there were days I thought I would never want to redo certain parts of my life, truth be told I wouldn’t change any of it for a thing.

I know it sounds cheesy, but I think everything happens for a reason. We may not always understand the reason behind something so bad happening in our life, but one day we will realize why it had to happen. There have been many times in my life where this has happened, and it really makes you rethink all of the bad things that have happened in your life.

I read an old paper I wrote in high school the other day during one of my breaks at school. Reading this paper about my year and what had changed throughout that year really put this whole idea into perspective for me. At that time, so much seemed so important and today, none of it really matters anymore. What does matter is that all those things made me a better person in the long run.

No, maybe I’m not exactly where I wanted to be at some point in my life, but I know that I’m working towards graduating college and making a better life for myself in the future which is what I’ve wanted all along. If some things in my past hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t be in the field I am studying now and I might not be working so hard towards my goals.

All I know is that these rough times in the past have made me work twice as hard for what I want than anything else. If I hadn’t had some of these things happen to me, I might not be so motivated to finish school and find a good job out of school. There are so many unknowns in the scenario it’s crazy to think about. One small change can cause a domino effect and make a million other things change in your life as well, both big and small changes.

So, if you’re ever wondering why something in your life is happening to you, know that it must be happening for a reason. Think of all the other times in your life when something wasn’t going right but somehow you still ended up just where you need to be. Live for the future, not in the past and you’ll end up in just the right place, even if it’s not what you expected.