Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It's how you deal

The words of Michael Lee-Chin — "Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It's how you deal with the troughs that defines you." — speak with the rhythm of eternal truth, the heartbeat of every human story. For life is no straight path across a calm plain; it is a winding road through mountains and valleys, storms and clear skies. The ups bring joy, triumph, and light, but the downs, the troughs, test the soul in ways success never can. It is not glory that defines a man, but the way he bears his burdens in the shadows, the way he rises after he has fallen.

The origin of this wisdom lies in the life of Lee-Chin himself, a man who rose from humble beginnings in Jamaica to become one of the world’s great investors and philanthropists. He did not inherit a golden road, but carved one from hardship, failure, and perseverance. His words are born not of theory, but of lived experience — the recognition that resilience in the valleys of despair matters more than celebration on the mountaintop. By naming the troughs as the true measure of character, he calls us to remember that adversity is not our enemy, but our forge.

History gives us many mirrors of this truth. Consider the life of Abraham Lincoln, who faced repeated defeats in politics, the loss of loved ones, and the burden of leading a nation divided by war. His rise was anything but linear; it was marked by valleys of despair so deep that many would have surrendered. Yet it was precisely in those troughs — his patience through failure, his endurance through grief — that his greatness was formed. Had his life been smooth, his name would not echo today as a symbol of courage and integrity.

We may also recall the tale of Helen Keller, who as a child fell into the deepest valley of silence and darkness. Her life began with loss — the loss of sight and hearing — a trough so deep that many would have been broken by it. Yet through discipline, perseverance, and the help of her teacher Anne Sullivan, she transformed her suffering into strength. Keller became a voice for millions, showing the world that the human spirit shines brightest not on the mountain peaks, but in the valleys where others cannot see light.

The teaching here is clear: life is not linear, and we must not expect it to be so. If you measure your worth only by your triumphs, you will despair when misfortune strikes. If you understand instead that the valleys are as necessary as the peaks, then you will learn to walk with courage through both. The troughs are not curses; they are teachers. They strip away illusion, temper pride, and call forth the hidden reserves of strength within us.

The lesson for us is this: do not curse the valleys, but use them. When failure comes, ask what it is teaching you. When sorrow falls, ask what compassion it is planting in your heart. When life feels broken, remember that every trough is also a passage, and beyond it lies another rise. What defines you is not whether you fall, but whether you rise again with wisdom, courage, and grace.

What, then, should you do? Prepare your heart for the valleys. Accept that life will bring both joy and trial, and resolve now to meet both with dignity. Train yourself in resilience — cultivate patience, gratitude, and discipline in the small things, so that when great trials come, your spirit will not break. Encourage others in their troughs, for your compassion may be the rope that helps them climb. And above all, remember that your story is not defined by the fall, but by the rising.

Thus let this wisdom be handed down: life is not linear, and its valleys are the crucibles where true character is formed. Walk bravely, therefore, through both summit and shadow, and you will find that it is not the easy road, but the winding one, that leads to greatness.