Let's admit it to ourselves right here and right now. When times become difficult, your plan is filled with conflict and the storm seems to have an agenda to never stop, we panic. Despite the very few, (let's call them the chosen ones) adversity isn't always embraced so easily.

The hardest thing for some of us to come to terms with is that we failed or that the perfect plan that you had ready to pop off, is now crashing to the ground. Cue the flatline because we just can't take it. But what if we changed our idea of breaking down. What if the perspective that we have become accustomed to since childhood was able to be altered just a little bit? Because we are so caught up in our thoughts while in motion, we forget that we are in control of the direction that they are going.

So let's look at it this way. When we suddenly lose all that we worked so hard for, when we keep attempting at this so-called passion or goal that we have yet it doesn't seem to be taking off, when we lose the person we gave all of our love to or even when we get fired from a job that was helping to pay the bills—these are all likely to happen, right? How can we look at this as being gracefully broken? How can we turn these negatives into a positive? What switch can we pull for a change?

Think of a smoothie. The fruits and vegetables start off fully blossomed and beautiful in sight. We break down these fruits and vegetables in order to make this concoction and build something greater than just an apple or just a banana. But now, we rebuild these individual fruits into this healthy, delicious smoothie.

This is the same with our lives and the “failures” and “adversities” that we face. We naturally want to think the world is against us, but what if we are being broken down to promote us and put us in the right place where we are destined to be.

Being gracefully broken doesn’t destroy us—it rebuilds us.

Sometimes we can be stuck in our ways, old habits and though things seemed right and we were comfortable, something had to happen in order to take us out of our comfort zone. When we are stuck there, we have no opportunity for growth or to reach the next level.

As the New Year approaches, use this time to rebuild the old you. Allow yourself to be filled with strength and understanding. The test awaits.