Starting a business isn’t easy.
Challenges will arise and sometimes test your will and desire to succeed. When you need strength to keep going, remember: divine inspiration is just a prayer away.
The Challenges Christ Helped Me Overcome
Blogging full-time is definitely less stressful than a corporate job, but finding success in it hasn’t been easy for me. Especially during my first two years, I was working nearly 12 hours a day, every day!
I’d wake up at 9 a.m., start working by 10, and wouldn’t get to bed until 1 a.m. the next day. Of course, I took breaks—lunch, a bit of exercise, some family time, and personal stuff like showering—but most of my day was spent glued to my laptop.
As someone who just made a big career change, I spent most of my early days learning new skills and figuring out how to use different tools and tech. Skills and tools? Things like writing blog posts, SEO, ad placement, affiliate marketing, and more.
Most of what I’ve learned so far was by choice, but some things I had to learn through tough situations. The problems and challenges of building my blog and online business taught me some of my most important lessons.
For example, I realized how crucial authenticity is for long-term success in blogging and that it’s better to focus on building evergreen skills than chasing short-term tactics.
My latest failure—being too dependent on Google—was a big eye-opener. When Google’s algorithm changed, a huge chunk of my income disappeared within months!
The challenges I faced weren’t just about blogging. In a way, the toughest parts of building an online business were personal. Dealing with inconsistent income, pressure from my parents to settle down, and all kinds of opinions from others was a real struggle.
To be honest, I get frustrated with myself for not being successful faster. I can’t wait for the day when I can spoil the people I love with things they want and make them really happy.
My Support and Inspiration for Success
Without my family’s support and the inspiration they give me, I wouldn’t have been able to keep blogging even a year after Google shook up my business.
But what’s kept me strong throughout this journey is Jesus Christ—my biggest inspiration.
His life is a model for anyone seeking true happiness and a meaningful life. His teachings, focused on humility, selflessness, and service, are some of the most beautiful I know. They’re the reason He’s the most followed person in history.
Passion, Death, and Resurrection (A Personal Realization)
Out of everything I’ve heard and read about Christ, the part of His story that Catholics remember during Holy Week is the most inspiring to me.
This is the climax of His story—His passion, death, and resurrection—where He sacrificed Himself to save everyone from sin. It’s a story about accepting responsibility, selflessness, and fulfilling His purpose and mission to be the ultimate example of a good person for all humanity.
Interestingly, Christ’s story of passion, death, and resurrection offers more than just values to live by.
As someone building an online business, I’ve found that this story helps me understand the purpose of suffering, which, if we can fully grasp it, can actually build resilience in anyone working toward a meaningful goal.
From my experience, mental strength is a gift to those who understand this.
The Lesson from Christ’s Passion: Meaning of Suffering
Understanding this “meaning of suffering” and becoming more resilient didn’t come from a long, complicated sermon or a 3-day retreat.
For me, it was simply through regularly reflecting on Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection each Sunday at our church service. I do this especially during the “Lamb of God” hymn, while I focus on each fresco in our church’s high altar depicting the final stages of Jesus’ life on earth.
The cycle begins with the Presentation at the Temple (Luke 2:22-38), followed by scenes like Christ carrying His cross (John 19:16-17), Christ on the cross (John 19:19-22), Mary holding His body (John 19:38-42), and ends with Mary Magdalene seeing the risen Lord (John 20:11-18).
Every time I reflect on the scenes from Jesus’ life in the frescoes, one thought comes to mind:
If even Jesus had to suffer and die to accomplish His mission and live forever in our hearts, then I, too, am called to embrace pain and challenges to reach my own goals.
Why embrace suffering on the path to success?
Because that’s just how life works, as Jesus showed us. No one aiming for greatness, success, happiness, or even peace of mind is exempt from facing hardships—not even the Son of God.
It’s as simple as “no pain, no gain.” We have to be willing to give what it takes to receive the rewards our hearts truly desire.
Embracing Challenges in Building a Business
When building a business and chasing success, Jesus’ example of embracing hardship and suffering makes a lot of sense.
It’s during tough times that we get humbled, open ourselves to new ideas, and grow, all of which can eventually lead to success. That’s why it’s so important to embrace challenges instead of running from them when they come our way.
They’re blessings in disguise, even if they don’t feel like it at first.
Most importantly, overcoming challenges is what success really means, right? We can’t call something a success if we haven’t done anything meaningful to achieve it.
Final Thoughts
From reflecting on Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, I’m convinced that Jesus should be at the heart of anyone starting a business. His words and actions are full of inspiration and strength that won’t let anyone down.
My four years of building an online business are proof of that. Even now, I’m still here, fighting to achieve my dreams!
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