“Discovering joy does not… save us from the inevitability of hardship and heartbreak. In fact, we may cry more easily, but we will laugh more easily, too. Perhaps we are just more alive. Yet, as we discover more joy, we can face suffering in a way that ennobles rather than embitters. We have hardship without becoming hard. We have heartbreak without being broken.” -Archbishop Desmond Tutu

What if we knew we had inherent superpowers within us to navigate life’s challenges as they happened, to learn and grow from them, without carrying the weight of those burdens all through our adult lives? How would life be different? By redefining our relationship with ourselves, each other, and the world around us, we can begin to build the intuition of what our minds, bodies, hearts, and souls need to thrive. To transmute our pain and suffering into meaning, purpose, and joy.

I sometimes tell kids I work with that the pain and suffering they are experiencing right now is going to become a superpower. At first, they look at me like I said the most absurd thing in the world. And then I explain… the hardship you are facing now will make you stronger, kinder, and more understanding and compassionate towards the pain and suffering of others, and the world could use a lot more love like that. That is why there is so much power in sharing our stories because in doing so, not only do we recognize our shared humanity but also our shared divinity.

Learn more about how connecting with the world around you can lead to your empowerment: Community