The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.
Chinese proverb

“It is said an eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent a sentence, to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him with the words, 'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!”
       Abraham Lincoln

"In the last decade or so, science has discovered a tremendous amount about the role emotions play in our lives. Researchers have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and abilities to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships."

John Gottman, PhD

The ups and downs of life test our energies and will to live. We struggle everyday to do the "right thing." Yet, that does not give us immunity from adversities. Just like the changes of seasons, we cannot appreciate summer if we have not experienced winter and vice versa. Both seasons have their purpose in our lives. We just have to learn to adapt to them. Thus, if you bring someone from  Africa to Iowa during the winter, he may not enjoy his stay in the US. Because you have removed him from his comfortable environment to the cold environment without any proper clothing, shoes and change in mental attitude.

Just as life is full of dichotomies like right and left, good and bad, so do you go through the same changes in your lives. One day you are perfecly well and the next day you're sick. One day you're rich and another day you're poor. These are are some of the changing scenes of life that we all have to come to terms with.

To be able to handle these changes in your life, you have to develop resilience. 

Resilience is the process of adapting your behavior, attitudes and thoughts in the face of problems to be able to solve the problems. Learning to be resilient will go a long way to help you face life's adversities so you can realize your dreams and be all you can be. 

          

"The greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

Confucius

"Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny."

Author unknown