We Don’t Get What We Want. We Get What We Need.

If there’s one thing life keeps teaching me, it’s this: the universe doesn’t hand us what we want. It hands us what we need.

And honestly, that can be frustrating.

Like many people, I’ve wanted plenty of things—comfort, recognition, progress without the struggle. But looking back, it’s not the things I wanted that helped me grow. It’s the hard stuff. The curveballs. The setbacks that forced me to confront parts of myself I would’ve otherwise ignored.

It’s easy to point fingers when life gets rough. To say, “This shouldn’t be happening to me.” But somewhere along the way, I started flipping that question. What if this is happening for me? What if it’s exactly what I need—even if it doesn’t feel like it?

Taking responsibility doesn’t mean blaming ourselves for every challenge. It just means owning our response. That’s where the power lies. When we stop resisting and start engaging with life on its terms, something shifts. We stop asking why me? and start asking what now?

And the more I practice that mindset, the more I see the blessings hidden in plain sight—small ones and big ones. A conversation that opens a new door. A failure that pushes me toward a better path. Even moments of silence that make space for clarity.

I don’t think life is about getting everything we want. That might be a shortcut to comfort, but not to meaning. It’s about becoming the kind of person who can see the meaning—even in the middle of discomfort.

So no, I don’t believe in a universe that exists just to grant wishes.

But I do believe in a life that’s constantly shaping us into who we’re meant to become—through every challenge, every joy, every unexpected turn.

And that feels like a better deal.