Welcome to the happiness podcast. I'm Dr. Robert Puff. Most likely if we're listening to this podcast, it's because we've either had or are having

difficult challenges in our life.

When we've lived long enough, we're going to have those challenges. We all are. But what can happen is a lot of people can just say,

I don't want to deal with it, I don't want to think about it, and they somewhat put their head in the sand and really don't.

But if we've lived long enough, sooner or later, these challenges are going to come.

For example, this morning, one of my friends that I grew up with

reached out to me because he found out

that his sister was very recently diagnosed with cancer and is probably going to die in the next

few weeks.

Here in the U.S., which is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, it was reported

by the Federal Reserve Board in 2018 that 40 percent of Americans can't cover a $400 emergency expense. And here in the U.S.

recently we've been under a governmental shutdown which means millions of people have not

been getting paid. So can you imagine the impact it is having on people's lives? And so many things

like this, medical, financial relationships, are just out of our control. And like I said, maybe not now we're going through something?

Probably sooner or later, we're going to face crises in our lives. What are we to do? Do we give up? Is there no hope? Or can we work through these crises and come

out the other end? Well, perhaps even better. Recently I read this quote, I can't guarantee it's by this author, but it was attributed to

him.

Josh, Ship.

It reads, you either get bitter or you get better. It's that simple. You either take what has been

dealt to you and allow it to make you a better person or you allow it to tear you down. The choice does not belong to fate. It belongs to you.

I so agree with this quote. Life throws us things, it just does.

Sometimes we create them, like for example, drinking and driving, that can create a fate that

...