The story of becoming the hammer and 'steel' of life: Why is struggle a kind of achievement?

Date: February 16, 2026

Sitting by the window of the bus, watching the rushing city outside, sometimes I realise strange truths. On a busy day like this, while stuck in traffic, a thought crossed my mind. What actually is this "struggle" that we fear all our lives and see as a curse?

It struck me that all these struggles in life are actually a kind of privilege. It might sound strange, but if you think a little deeper, it makes perfect sense.

Think about a piece of raw iron. When it first comes out of the mine, it is brittle and full of impurities. What do you need to turn this ordinary iron into strong steel?

You need the intense heat of fire and the hard blows of a hammer.

Life is that workshop, and our bad times or tough situations are that heavy hammer. When life’s problems hit us like a hammer, two things happen:

1. We become stronger: Just as every blow of the hammer packs the iron particles tighter to make it solid, every crisis in life increases our mental strength. We learn to handle more pressure than before and become more resilient.

2. The junk gets removed: As I wrote in my note, "Also remove junk." When you strike iron, the useless impurities fall off. In the same way, hard times clear out the junk from our lives. This junk could be our own laziness, unnecessary fear, or even people who are there in good times but disappear when things get tough. Struggle makes us pure.

Don't just be 'good,' be 'strong'

Since childhood, we are told to be nice to everyone and be a good person. But the pressure to be a "nice person" often makes us bend our spines. A nice person wants to keep everyone happy, avoids conflict, and gives in easily. They are like soft metal that can be bent easily.

But someone who is forged under life's hammer cannot just stay "nice." They become a strong personality.

That is my realization today. I don't want to live just as a "good person" defined by society. I want a strong personality. Someone who doesn't break when a storm comes, who stands firm on their principles, and who knows when to say "no."

Finally,

So from now on, whenever a bad time comes, I will think of it as the hammer's blow. It hasn't come to break me, but to build me. This process of turning me from ordinary iron into unbreakable steel is nothing but a special opportunity.

Let's not fear struggle, but embrace it. Because a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.