I’m in the midst of reading Jack Kornfield’s A Path With Heart. It’s one of those books that teaches you something new on every reading.

One line that calls to me is: “Difficulties or weaknesses often lead us to the very thing we need to learn.”

How often do we see our struggles as something to resist or avoid? I know I’ve done that more times than I can count. But what if it is those very struggles that hold our most valuable lessons and lead us to our most important growth? What if they’re nudging us — sometimes gently, and well let's face it, sometimes not so gently — toward patience, self-compassion, or resilience?

A lot of us engage in a mindfulness or meditation practice because we want relief from stress. We want calmer days. And don’t get me wrong, those are wonderful and important benefits. I talk about them all the time. But they’re really byproducts. Mindfulness is about awareness. And that awareness can bring us face-to-face with the harder stuff we’ve been avoiding. It is moving our way through that that gets us to a truly calmer state.

It’s not easy. Actually, it can be really hard. Things can happen, are happening, or will happen of no fault of your own and over which we have no control. And alongside all of that are the everyday frustrations and challenges. All of it becomes part of the practice.

In mindfulness, challenges are not failures. Instead, they are turning points. That racing mind when we meditate? Well, that’s just another chance to practice coming back to the breath. When you get really angry? That could be a doorway to noticing unmet needs or tender places in ourselves. Each difficulty, if we’re willing to pause and pay attention, carries the possibility of deeper insight.

So the next time something comes up we would rather turn away from, even when it seems heavy and insurmountable, it may still hold valuable lessons. Wisdom has a way of showing up in the most unexpected of places.