“If you take the character of any man, it really is but the aggregate of tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind; you will find that misery and happiness are equal factors in the formation of that character. . . [A]nd in some instances, misery is a greater teacher than happiness.”
– Swami Vivekananda
In 2007, an angry mob pelted stones at Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s house after the Indian Cricket Team got knocked out of the World Cup early. The media, meanwhile, treated the players like criminals.
Obviously, Dhoni was furious. How did he respond? He channeled the anger to become a better cricketer and person. The same year, he led India to win the inaugural T20 World Cup. In the next decade, Dhoni went on to become the only captain to win every ICC tournament. Even after retirement, he remains a respected figure in the game, not just for his skills but also for his conduct on and off the field.
How you respond to what happens shapes your character. The hottest fire can either turn you to ash, or it can forge you to become stronger.
Choose the latter. Each time you experience a moment of weakness — to text your ex, to smoke when you want to quit, to open Instagram when you should be studying — remind yourself that you are better than that.
Good character enables you to think and act by design, not by accident. Value it over everything else.