You don’t always get what you want and things don’t always go as planned. You not always going to get the long end of the stick, you won’t always win every race you find yourself in, tough luck is just tough luck and every now and then it comes by.

Tough times are a part of life; actually nobody ever said this life will be easy or anything worthwhile for that matter, there are just some things that are out of our control, life happens and there is not much we can do about it.

That doesn’t mean people should give up and throw in the towel, just because it’s not easy doesn’t mean it has to be bad. It is necessary to endure those tough times, we can’t hide from the cold, we have to endure through it. They say that’s where all the real magic happens.  

Sometimes people, especially the youth, become too comfortable when things are not going their way or even when they get the short end of a deal. When they find themselves in a rough situation, they roll over and let it consume them, they settle for whatever is given to them and only when it becomes unbearable or they see others in different situations do they notice something is off.

Sometimes though there is not much to go off on, sometimes a person is just dealt a bad hand that leads them to certain situations – they had no control over what transpired to lead them there. That shouldn’t be the end and even though it is the default circumstance one finds themselves in, tough times don’t last forever.

There was a time when we were fighting for our independence, those were dark and tough times for those on the frontline, but they endured through it all and won. There was a time you didn’t know how to walk, those were tough times, but you endured and are now running. It seems the more you endure through the tough times the stronger and better you come out of them.

There will never be a time for as long as one lives that will be problem-free, there will always be a dilemma to solve or a challenge to overcome, some will be easier than others, but we will have to endure through them all to overcome them and come out a better person.

So to those going through rough times right now, hold your head up high and make the best out of those tough and unforgiving times, its always worth it!

*Olavi Popyeinawa has a diploma in Alternative Dispute Resolution and is currently studying law, LLB at the University of Namibia. He writes on youth matters. Twitter: @ OlaviPopyeinawa and olavipopyeinawa@gmail.com