So, How Have YOU Been?

What I did on my summer blogging sabbatical

“Rest and be thankful.” ― William Wordsworth First, I want to thank all of you who read these words of mine — and the thoughts that inspire them. And I want to welcome you to the third year of Ontozoan — One Real Life. As some of you may know, I took a three-month hiatus […]

Re-post: How Cultivating Resilience Can Save Your Life

Suicide sucks -- ask the ones who've been there. Oh wait.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG) […]

Re-post: Hanging Tough

How to weather a setback

“Everybody hurts.” -R.E.M. Whether it is an injury or illness, getting passed over at work, a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one, each one of us will experience pain and hardship. The question for each of us then is: What will I do when it’s my turn? Here’s what I have found […]

How to Prevail When the Spam Hits the Fan

Hardship is inevitable. Defeat isn't.

“Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome, ‘Do your worst, for I will do […]

The Best Advice Ever Was a Stern Rebuke

Do the work - it will pay off eventually

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend;     profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” – Proverbs 27:6 (ESV) The story I’m about to tell you is true. While I am not particularly proud of certain aspects of this story, I think it has a happy enough ending, as well as a useful moral, so I’m […]

How Cultivating Resilience Can Save Your Life

Suicide sucks -- ask the ones who've been there. Oh wait.

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” -1 Corinthians 10:13 (MSG) […]

Amazingly, What Doesn’t Kill You Could Help You Thrive

So begins a great experiment – our first ever video post. Please let me know what you think — and what you’re thinking.

So, how about you? What are your hardships preparing you to do? Add your comments below.

Hanging Tough

How to weather a setback

“Everybody hurts.” -R.E.M. Whether it is an injury or illness, getting passed over at work, a failed relationship or the loss of a loved one, each one of us will experience pain and hardship. The question for each of us then is: What will I do when it’s my turn? Here’s what I have found […]

The Role of Hardship in Shaping Character

“Endure hardship as discipline…”   – Hebrews 12:7 I never liked the word discipline. It always made me think of punishment — and I didn’t care for punishment.  Losing privileges, being sent to my room, having my allowance docked — I never liked any of it.  The worst, however, was corporal punishment — the dreaded […]