VLOG—A Minute with Steven

It’s Not What You Deserve It’s What You Can Handle

I grew up in the Inwood/Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City in the 1960s. It was a rough place to live, what with bad race relations, religious tensions, gang life, and overall city problems. I remember being scared many times;, sometimes even terrified and afraid for my life.

Fortunately, by the grace of God and my own resources, I managed to not only survive but thrive. I am able to look back on those hard times and draw lessons that help me cope with new challenges and hardships in my life.

One big lesson is to not ask, “what did I do to deserve this?” I consider that an irrelevant question. When you’re in the midst of a battle, be it a street fight or anything else like a serious illness, you have to simply buckle down, handle things, and move on.

Asking, “why me?” will simply distract you from the task at hand. For sure, you can ask the larger questions when things settle; and you should, to see if you can avoid the problem in the future. But then you realize there are so many things beyond your control, that the best you can do is come up with a few pointers for next time.

The most important realization is that you can handle anything that comes your way. If you don’t believe that immediately, you have to ratchet up your game and get to the point where you do.