Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] We rejoice in our afflictions because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. Reading these words for the first time might make you ask, why would I rejoice in affliction? Why would I rejoice in pain and struggle? And I can tell you as someone on the other side of many difficult times, that's because the struggle is preparing you for the blessing if it's your first time here. My name is Michael Riggs. I'm a full time author, entrepreneur and men's personal development and marriage mentor. And I teach men all over the world how to live fully optimized, leveled up lives. So if that's something you're into, definitely subscribe to this podcast, subscribe to this YouTube channel if that's where you're getting this, because that's what we do here. Learn and grow together on our way to living a fully optimized, leveled up life. And today we're talking about how to have certainty during difficult times and trusting that the abundance is on the way. Stick around. Hello and welcome to the Warrior Kings Podcast. I'm your host, Michael Riggs, here to assist you on your journey to living a fully optimized, leveled up life as a man. So again, welcome and welcome back to the Warrior Kings podcast. It's good to talk to you today. It's great to have you here today. If you're one of my regular listeners. I've been gone for a couple of weeks and I didn't mean to leave you hanging, but I took a couple of weeks to correct some things in my mindset, to refocus on the things that actually matter before jumping back into this. So I appreciate your patience if you've been waiting for another episode. And as always, thank you so much for being here. Thank you for always listening and supporting me. And like I said, it's good to be back. And for those of you waiting for it, the Warrior Husband exclusive community on Patreon is still in the works and is still on the way. So keep looking forward to that and I will keep you updated as we roll that out. And with that being said, let's dive right into the topic of the day. If you're not familiar with it, what I read at the beginning in the intro to this episode is from Romans in the Bible. And whether you're a Christian or not, I wanted to share that with you today. So let's read that again. We rejoice in our afflictions because we know that affliction produces endurance. Endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. And you be in a situation in your life where rejoicing and celebrating seems impossible. It seems to not make any sense at all. You might say, you don't understand what I'm going through. I'm living in a nightmare. And honestly, dude, I get that because I've been there many times myself. What my message is to you today is that it certainly gets better. And you can walk in certainty knowing that, like that passage says, affliction produces endurance. Endurance is defined as the fact or power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process or situation without giving way, without giving, giving in, without giving up. Endurance produces proven character. And character defined as the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. In other words, it makes you stronger. It makes you grow as a person. The struggle, the difficult time, the challenge is training you. And what is it training you for? It's training you for receiving the blessing that's on the other side of the challenge, of the struggle, of the difficulty. Whatever you're going through, it's crafting you into who you need to be for the next level. It's just a matter of recognizing that and taking it as an opportunity to learn and grow instead of crumble and collapse. Your mission, your duty, is to overcome, to make it to that other side of the struggle or this difficult time. And when we face these difficult times, you have two options. Either one, succumb to the darkness, or two, rise above it. And how do you rise above it? By walking with certainty, by rejoicing in the affliction, knowing that it must be good if it is leading you towards where you're going. Does that sound crazy? Imagine feeling gratitude even in the difficult times. You know, a lot of people let the difficult time consume them. They succumb to it, they collapse, and they succumb to the thing, and they spend their days miserable. They have no hope. They don't look towards the future in a positive way or in an optimistic way. They just feel like this is going to be like this forever. And if they choose that, if they stay in that, if they succumb to the darkness, if they succumb to the difficult time, the challenge that they're supposed to make it past, it's likely that they will be in that dark time and that struggle for longer than they should be, if not forever. Proven character produces hope. Hope defined as a feel of trust, Trusting that it's all going to work out, trusting that it's all going to be okay, trusting that it's part of the process, part of the story that you are going somewhere, that there's something at the end of this and it's far greater than you can possibly even imagine. That's walking in certainty, walking in trust, walking in hope for a better future, instead of letting that difficult time, that struggle, whatever that thing is, destroy you. A few years ago, when my life fell apart, I faced those two options. I could either one, fall apart like everyone expected me to, or two, I could level up like never before and be building the life of my dreams. I chose the second option. Instead of being defeated, instead of cracking and crumbling, instead of succumbing to my current circumstances, I took it as an opportunity to learn and to grow, to level up my own life, to look within and make some changes instead of pointing the finger at everything and everyone else, blaming the world and circumstances for my situation. You know, when was the last time that you blamed yourself for your current circumstances? If your life is falling apart, it takes a wise man to do that, and in a healthy way. I'm not saying hate yourself or get down on. What I'm saying is look within and be like, what can I change here? How can I make myself better, to work my way out of this? What can I make better? How can I correct my mindset? How can I correct my life, mind, body and spirit to get out of this situation? And then while you're making those improvements, while you're making those adjustments, walk with certainty, knowing that you are moving towards where you're supposed to be going, which is the blessing. Once you overcome the struggle, then comes the blessing. That's how that works. So like I said, I decided to go up instead of go down. And sometimes that's how it is. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forward. Sometimes you have to go down to go up. More often than not, actually, sometimes you will be brought to your lowest point to build that endurance and that character that is necessary for you to possess in the next season of life in what is coming. And that actually happened to me again recently. I went backwards. There was this huge theme of going backwards. And things got a little rocky for a while. There was great opportunity for discouragement and uncertainty. And there was a lot of confusion, like, why is this happening? Why am I going backwards instead of forwards? Right then I reflected on the past. I reset my mindset. I spent some time in the mental workshop. And then I realized, if things are this bad right now, then something amazing must be on the way. I'd better pay attention and receive what I'm supposed to be learning here because something really big is coming. And that's the kind of certainty that you need to have. When times get difficult, when you face challenges, when you face adversity, when it feels like everything is falling apart, get excited like the Bible says, rejoice in that because that means that something amazing is coming for you. You are headed towards the blessing. When things get bad, when you face challenges, when it seems like everything is trying to stop you, when it seems like everything is trying to shut you down, you better get ready and you better overcome that thing and you better have the wisdom to learn what you are supposed to learn in that season to reach that next level. And then once you reach that next level, it will blow your mind and you will say, thank you for that. I rejoice for that. Again, thank you for everything that I learned in that season. Because right now, where I am right now, so much better. Now, you might have heard me mention this before, but a few years ago, my life fell apart. And I won't get into a lot of why that happened. Basically, I was with a lady for 10 years and we had two kids together. And because I was a nightmare in my life, among many other reasons, we just weren't right for each other. One day she suddenly moved out and took our two daughters with her. And at the time, I did not have my life together. If you would have told me back then that I would be teaching other men how to live fully optimized lives, I would have thought you were crazy. Everyone who knew me would probably think that as well. So suddenly I was living alone. I had one income, I, I definitely needed a better job. I had to pay all my bills on my most difficult thing about that was I was suddenly alone. I went from spending every day with my daughters to only seeing them every other weekend if I was lucky. And it was very difficult. And that's one of the most challenging things that I've ever faced in my life. And my grocery budget at the time, living alone, trying to make the bills and all that was a two pound thing of ground beef from Aldi, some corn tortillas, some lettuce and tomatoes, if I was lucky, a few seasonings, and I made tacos and made it stretch for the whole week. And I, I repeated that every week. And if I was lucky, sometimes I had B and eggs for breakfast in the mornings. And during that process, instead of crumbling like everybody thought that I would, instead of falling apart, instead of running back home to live with my mom or whatever, I made it work. I made it happen. God made it happen. Honestly, lots of miracles during that season. But I walked in certainty. I walked with hope at times. I rejoiced in the struggle. I rejoiced in the affliction. And what I want to share with you here is that every single day, when I opened my fridge and I saw just those few grocery items, I thanked God and I said, God, thank you for the overflowing abund blessings you pour out to me every day right here in your kingdom. I felt so much gratitude. I made a point to feel gratitude for the fact that I was making it, that I had a place to live, that I was actually paying the bills, that I was actually making it work, that I actually had food to eat. Even though in retrospect, it was very little at the time to me. I felt like it was everything. And I felt that gratitude in my entire being. And then after I started seeing my wife and she started coming over more, one day we went grocery shopping together. And after we put the groceries away, I opened the fridge and I just stood in awe because we were having. Having trouble finding places to put everything. There were so many groceries. And I felt the exact same thing. I thought, thank you, God, for this overflowing abundance that you provide to me. Thank you, God. I just felt that gratitude. And then I realized that my gratitude had paid off. And the apartment that I was living in at the time was pretty dumpy. Flash forward a couple of months. Me and Carly moved in together in a luxury apartment in an up and coming new area. Again, my mind was blown. My car broke down. I didn't know how I was gonna get a new one. We called a dealership. The guy said, yep, already got one pick for you. Come on down, test drive it. While we're sitting in the dealership, there's people all around us that I'm listening to get denied because their credit and all that. I didn't know where my credit was at at the time, but this guy was like, of course this car is yours. We drove it home that night. Just miraculous, miraculous things. But it's because I overcame during that struggle. I didn't fall apart. I didn't go backwards. I didn't let that thing defeat me. I decided to level up every aspect of my life. Get better and better. Have hope, have certainty, look towards a future of abundance. And then the future of abundance came. Imagine that this isn't stuff that I'm just making up to be a motivational speaker on a podcast. These are things that have Actually happened to me. These are things that I want you to know are true. If you decide to walk in certainty, if you decide to believe in that future and then overcome the struggle that you are facing, a life of overflowing abundance awaits you on the other side of that. It's a fact. I've seen it again and again. And then I took that belief and that gratitude and that certainty. I carried that with me into all of my endeavors. And I have had so many dreams come true since then, since I discovered that the struggle, struggle, the difficult time, whatever you're facing, is part of the story. It's part of the journey. What kind of success story would it be if it all worked out the first time that you tried? If you put something out there or you started an endeavor and somebody asked you how you did it and you said, I don't know, I just put it out there and it works the first time. And boom, I. I don't know what else to say about that. What kind of success story is that? Of course you're gonna have to go through some things you're gonna have to face some things you're gonna have to overcome, some things you gotta beat the game. You got to overcome. That is the success story. So in it seems impossible right now where you are. Celebrate that, rejoice that, Take the opportunity to learn in that, Take the opportunity to grow in that level up in that, see the opportunity in that, see that. That is the story. And then have certainty and know where you're going, know what the end game is, and then move in that direction. Build the life of your dreams out of this current circumstance, and then you will be able to tell that story. You overcame that. You did not fall down. You couldn't be knocked down. Nothing could stop you. That's the story. Learn and grow and prepare for greatness. You are being trained for that in every circumstance, in every situation. Ask yourself, what am I learning here? What am I supposed to be learning in this process and at all times, in everything you do? Pursue greatness, pursue growth, pursue optimization in every aspect of your life? Because most people, when they face difficult times, when they face challenging circumstances, when they face adversity, they succumb to it. They play the victim, they fall down, they crash, they crumble. But you're not most people, bro. You're better than that. And there's a great calling and a purpose for your life. I truly believe that. You listening to this right now? Approach everything in life with certainty and say, what am I learning here? And Then beat that thing, overcome that thing, and keep your mindset right. Even though all of the evidence around you suggests the opposite, even if all of the evidence around you, everything that you see suggests that you are in hell, keep your mindset right. Focus on the positive. Focus on the good, all the good that's happened to you, all the good that's been done for you, and all of the good to come. Always focus on the positive. Don't allow negativity into your mind or in your space. Feel gratitude and abundance even when you can't see it. Just like I did back in my old apartment. Just take a look around randomly and say, thank you for this, thank you for all this, God, and really feel it inside those good feelings, those positive feelings. Keeping your mindset right, focusing on the positive, walking in certainty. It all goes together. And that is what is going to lead you out of the struggle and towards the blessing. And that is what is going to lead you to receiving the blessing. We rejoice in our affliction because we know that affliction produces endurance. Endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. I hope that this inspired you. I hope that you got something out of this episode today and I really mean it, man. A life of overflowing abundance awaits you on the other side of you deciding to overcome and level up your life. As soon as you decide to make the switch, make the change, a life of overflowing abundance awaits you. There is a great calling and a purpose for your life and great greatness awaits you. If this episode inspired you in any way, definitely subscribe to this podcast or this YouTube channel if that's where you're getting it. And if you want this message to reach more men all over the world, leave a rating and review on whatever podcast platform you're getting this on that helps the algorithm push this podcast to more listeners. And I really, truly, honestly appreciate that because it's my mission to level up as many lives as I possibly can during my lifetime. That's my mission. That's what I live for. So I really appreciate your support. I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment wherever you're getting this. And in the description of this podcast episode or this video, there's a bunch of links where you can learn more about me, what I do. You can find my books down there, Warrior King and Warrior Husband. And yeah, tons of resources down there if you want to connect with me. Again, thank you so much for being here today, watching, listening. However you prefer to consume your podcast like I said it's great to be back. It's great to talk to you guys again today. Now get out there. Kill it. Level up. I love you. I'm proud of you. And there are great things in store for you in this life, bro. And I'll catch you on the next one. Thanks, guys. Bye.
