Toughening up doesn’t necessarily means getting stronger physically. Toughening up can mean to concentrate, to focus, and to really think about what other ways we can do to get through a difficult situation. So toughening up can also mean utilizing what we already have and/or somehow the situation. We can always turn a difficult situation into positive one. We can change the context of the situation into another context that can be helpful in resolving the problem. It is how we see unpleasant events, instead of reacting to them, that’s important. It is important because we can change how we see an event and that’s powerful.
Great post, Eugene! It is so true that we need to find the lesson. Sometimes, the lesson may be when to stand up and say “this isn’t right” (i.e., apartheid), and other times it’s learning a new approach, but it is so true that we can always grow from any situation.