Whatever Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger

I found a quote that describes my life, one of my students, a young woman from Somalia, told me one day.

What is it? I asked.

What doesn't kill me makes me stronger, she replied, and went on to explain. I had to leave my country because of the war. I didn't get killed, like so many others did. I managed to escape to Italy. I had to learn Italian to live and work there - that made me stronger. Then Canada accepted my family as immigrants, and now I'm learning English and computers. It is making me stronger! This is the proverb that describes my life.

Armed with this attitude of becoming stronger, she went on to get her high school diploma, then a part-time job as a Walmart cashier. Before long, she was a full-time cashier, then the store's head cashier. Eventually, after completing an accounting program part-time at a local community college, she went on to a job in management.

How much easier it would be to deal with life's problems and setbacks, if we only had this young woman's attitude of viewing these bumps and roadblocks as opportunities for strengthening and growth.