I'm thankful I grew up the way I did. It made me a hard worker

When Rachel Roy declares, “I’m thankful I grew up the way I did. It made me a hard worker and insightful to other people’s lives,” she gives voice to a wisdom as old as humanity itself: that hardship and struggle, though bitter in the moment, become the forge that tempers character and grants the gift of empathy. Her words resound with humility, for she does not lament the trials of her youth but embraces them as the foundation upon which her life and success were built. Gratitude here is not for comfort, but for the very challenges that others might have sought to escape.

The origin of this reflection lies in her own upbringing, marked by modesty, resilience, and the need to strive. Instead of seeing her beginnings as obstacles, she claims them as teachers. Through them she learned the value of hard work, the discipline of persistence, and the ability to understand the burdens of others. This is no small gift, for empathy cannot be taught in words alone—it is lived, it is earned. Roy declares herself thankful, for she knows that the roots of her insight are grounded in the soil of her early struggles.

History shines a mirror upon this truth. Consider the life of Abraham Lincoln, born in a humble log cabin, laboring in fields and self-educating by firelight. He grew up far from privilege, but his hardships carved into him the strength of perseverance and the ability to see the struggles of ordinary men. When he rose to the presidency, it was this insight into human lives, forged by his own, that allowed him to guide a nation through its darkest hour. Like Lincoln, Roy’s gratitude for her upbringing reminds us that greatness often rises from humble soil.

Her words also speak to the eternal balance between labor and compassion. To be a hard worker is noble, but to labor without insight is to risk becoming cold or indifferent. To be insightful to others is powerful, but without the discipline of hard work it may remain an empty sentiment. Roy’s upbringing granted her both: the fire of work and the light of empathy. Together, they form the qualities of true leadership, whether in art, business, or life. Her thankfulness is for this dual inheritance, which many seek but few truly possess.

There is also a hidden lesson in her refusal to resent the difficulties of her past. Many look back with bitterness, lamenting what they lacked, blaming the world for what it did not give. But Roy instead chooses gratitude, transforming her struggles into strength. This is a teaching of resilience: that the past, no matter how difficult, can become a source of power if embraced rather than rejected. Her words are a reminder that our beginnings do not imprison us; they can free us, if we learn to see them as training grounds rather than chains.

The lesson for us is profound: be thankful for your roots, however humble or hard. Look upon your struggles not as curses, but as the soil from which wisdom grows. Let your hardships make you diligent, and let your diligence give you compassion for others who suffer. In this way, the pains of yesterday become the strengths of tomorrow, and the story of your life becomes not one of complaint, but of triumph.

Practical wisdom follows. Reflect upon your own upbringing, whether it was rich in blessings or heavy with burdens. Ask yourself: what strengths did it give me? What insights into the lives of others have I gained? Name these gifts with gratitude. Then, carry them forward by working diligently in your own life, and by extending empathy to those whose burdens you now recognize. In this way, your past—whatever it was—becomes a treasure, not a wound.

Thus, in the words of Rachel Roy, we are taught that the true wealth of life is not ease or luxury, but the strength and wisdom that comes from hardship. To be thankful for such a beginning is to transform pain into power, and difficulty into destiny. Let us therefore walk with gratitude for our roots, however tangled they may be, and allow them to make us both tireless in labor and tender in compassion. In this way, we honor our past and shape a brighter future.