Most business owners are well aware of the ups and downs of being self-employed. One day you’re enjoying the view from the top, the next you’re just hoping to see the light of day. With each new endeavor you pursue, the more familiar this emotional roller coaster becomes.

Of course, you don’t have to be a business owner to experience these highs and lows. They’re just a part of life. And so often when we’re going through the tough times, we think our real challenge lies in overcoming them.

Sure, many times the real challenge is to dig deep and find the strength to fight on. But what if beating the odds isn’t always the solution? What if the real challenge you’re facing today requires you to see it differently, and not just accept what it appears to be on the surface?

Rudyard Kipling, British Poet Laureate and Nobel Prize winner, said it best in his famous poem If-

You see, what seems like a setback or failure today, may prove to be exactly what you needed in order be prepared for a better tomorrow. And what appears to be a victory right now, might be lulling you into a comfort zone that makes you overconfident and vulnerable for the road ahead.

Nobody knows what today or tomorrow will bring. Win or lose – keep the faith, keep doing the work, and trust it always works out.