As I wrote Ordinary Hero, I frequently questioned myself: can life’s little frustrations— sitting in traffic, dealing with obnoxious people, haggling with the cellphone company, falling down and breaking a bone— help to prepare me for life’s big frustrations, when the stakes are high and when the chips are down, when my character is really tested?

There’s a passage in a old novel written by Jane Webster, Daddy-Long-Legs about an orphan girl named Judy, who is financially supported by a mysterious donor that argues it’s our “petty hazards of the day” that require more courage than our “big troubles”:

“It isn’t the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but to meet the petty hazards of the day with a laugh – I really think that requires spirit.”

Ordinary Hero isn’t just about learning to be better in the big moments but how little moments shape and build our character so we know how to behave when faced with a big moment. Because the frequent little moments, like baseball practice, prepare us for the big game. If we can train to meet the little challenges with grace and resolve and humor we’ll be better prepared for the big challenges.

Daily life–with its traffic jams and people who use both armrests and cellphone companies with hidden rates–offers plenty of opportunities to transcend frustrations and build good character.

And even though how we build character may differ, we’re all capable of building character that stands up to our adversities. Our heroic, everyday capacity to transcend our adversity is stronger than the adversity itself. And the antidote to adversity is to accept it and know it entered our lives at a pivotal moment to teach us, and to build our character.

While we may be unable to plan for big, sudden moments of adversity, we can be certain we will be faced with it daily. These are valuable opportunities to strengthen our character, no matter how small the stage.

Life comes with big challenges. However, we harness and strengthen our abilities to deal with these big challenges by dealing with the little, everyday frustrations.

Frustrations that provoke us to roar at the break-lights in front of us or talk passive-aggressively to a customer service representative.

Be well,

Jay

Greetings to everyone who found me on the University of Pennsylvania’s Ataxia Clinic’s website! Thanks for stopping by. I have ataxia and though I’m not a doctor, I hope my words comfort, encourage, empower, and serve as good company on your journey.

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July Book Promos for You:

Are looking for inspiration? Are you searching for a better version of yourself?

This month I joined literary forces with some best-selling authors in two awesome book promotions. Click the link below:

Finding Freedom, Building Your Best Life

Buy Here!

Recent letters you may enjoy:

Life is Change

Adversity Also Builds This

The Most Painful Letter I’ve Ever Written to You

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Jay Armstrong is a speaker and an award-winning author. Despite being diagnosed with a rare neurological disease, that impairs his movement, balance, eyesight, and speech–Jay presses on. The leader of the Philadelphia Ataxia Support Group, he hopes to help you find joy, peace, and meaning in life.

For Jay, a good day consists of 5 things:

1. Reading
2. Writing 
3. Exercising
4. Hearing his three children laugh
5. Hugging his wife
(Bonus points for a dinner with his parents or a drink with his friends)

Jay hasn’t had a bad day in quite a long time. 

You can also visit Jay at jayarmstrongwrites.com