This past weekend I spoke at the Thrive event in Las Vegas (which was amazing), and I also came to the realization that my life is one big classroom. You see, I got sick the morning of the day I was supposed to speak. I’m not sure if it was food poisoning or the flu, but needless to say I wasn’t going anywhere for a while. It was like life was flashing a big neon sign with a message that was impossible for me to ignore. In fact, there were multiple nudges, messages and signs that day, but I’ll leave those for another episode as I’m still marinating in a few of them. One thing I’ve come to realize though is that:   “Every single thing that happens can be a breakthrough lesson and everyone can be a teacher.”   Now this doesn’t mean that nothing bothers us, but it does mean that we get to choose how we view a particular situation and move through it. Yes, you may struggle and it may be annoying or painful, but the sooner we can accept it, the more quickly we’re able to advance to the next level.   “The sooner we accept the obstacle as a lesson or the person as a teacher, we get to move through it faster.”   As Tom Bilyeu shared with me just the other day, “Struggle is guaranteed, success is not.” In order to get to the next level, we have to experience it all. And if we’re going to struggle, we may as well get something useful out of it, yes?   Compare it to a rookie’s journey to becoming a pro. There’s always that point where the rookie is thrown in the game and the team may win or they might lose. The rookie will learn the do’s and don’ts – most likely the hard way. Whatever they experience though, it’s necessary because the coaches make the decision to move up that particular player if they don’t see them in action.   Once you realize that obstacles and people (yes, even those rude people in traffic) are here to teach us, you will experience a whole new level of freedom. It will be uncomfortable and you might shout expletives now and again, but practice and sharpening the skills of love, compassion, boundaries and saying no will help you step into that next level of your life.   -- In This Episode Lori talks about:   Why life is our classroom Why struggle is inevitable Viewing obstacles as lessons and people as teachers     Resources:   Aligned Registration Opens soon. Sign up to be the first to know when and to receive a free training at BecomeAligned.com   Check out my website at loriharder.com. Follow me on social media @LoriHarder on Instagram and Lori Harder on Facebook.