The Value of Hard Times

I changed majors in college several times.  One of the most valuable things I learned wasn't from a lecture or from a textbook.  It was something I saw one day in my plant biology lab.

The exercise was simple.  Take a packet of lettuce seeds, open it, and pour the contents onto the work table.  I then had to divide the pile of seeds into two smaller piles.  One pile of seeds was wrapped in a damp paper towel and placed in a tray.

The second pile of seeds were dumped onto a sheet of sandpaper.  I laid the sandpaper on the work table and placed the palm of my hand on the seeds. By moving the seeds back and forth on the sandpaper with the palm of my hand, the hard coat of the lettuce seed was cut, scarified, and weakened.  I then was instructed to wrap those seeds in a damp paper towel and place them in the tray.

When I returned to the lab a few days later and unwrapped the lettuce seeds, I found that the first set of seeds were much as I had left them.  Maybe one or two had sprouted.  The second set was much different.  Almost all of the seeds had sprouted and some were forming green leaves.

The lettuce seed's hard coat can protect it, but it can also keep the seed from growing.  Unless it's battered and bruised, the seed won't sprout and become a plant.

We're the same way.  Hard times can make us stronger and better prepared for the challenges in life...if we let them.  Barbara Corcoran of Shark Tank often says that she judges winners by how long it takes them to get over being hurt by a setback.

It's okay to sing the blues, as long as you let folks know you're better off having had the experience.