Dear friend,
We all long to grow—to become more successful, more understanding, more compassionate, or simply more capable in the things we care about. Every day, we see people on the news or social media who seem to have achieved so much. Their lives look inspiring, even effortless, and it’s natural for us to want to be like them.
Sometimes, when they share their stories, it sounds so simple—almost too easy. “I just loved it and practiced every day,” they might say. And if you also love what you do and put in the time, you might wonder: Why am I not there yet?
Let’s take an example: imagine a young Vietnamese man who achieved an IELTS Band 8.0 and speaks English as fluently as a native speaker. In an interview, he casually says, “I just enjoyed it and studied every day.” At first glance, it sounds like anyone could do it, right? But if we look deeper, we’ll see that behind those few simple words is a mountain of effort. He didn’t just “study every day”—he likely spent hundreds of hours listening to the BBC, watching countless English films and videos, writing thousands of essays, and reading widely across articles, newspapers, and books.
The truth is, his journey was full of challenges—moments of frustration, self-doubt, and fatigue. Learning a language deeply, becoming confident in conversation and in academics, demands discipline and patience. What we admire in him is not just the result, but the quiet strength it took to keep going through those difficult parts.
That’s the part we often don’t see—but it’s also the part that truly matters.
Dear friend, life works in the same way. To become better, we must be willing to go through the hard parts. It is through difficulty that we grow strong. Struggles give us resilience. Effort gives us depth. And the challenges we face today are often the very things that prepare us for the life we dream of tomorrow.
So if life feels heavy right now, take heart. This could be your moment of becoming. Don’t run from the difficulty—walk through it with courage. Every step forward is shaping a stronger, wiser you.
With warmth and encouragement,
Little-pencil – A fellow traveler on the path of growth
Little-pencil 