One thing that I have learned over the years is that everyone has a story. Nobody goes through life without having to overcome tough times. At times, the adversity we deal with in life is no fault of our own, but at other times, it’s a direct consequence of our own poor decisions.

I find it amazing how many success stories are out there of people deciding to be overcomers and getting their life back on track. They simply say, “enough is enough,” and they go to work on themselves making the most of a tough situation.

Most people who I have met have had a much tougher life than me. They have dealt with more than I could have imagined and truly are a victim of their circumstances.

I had two loving parents growing up, a lot of folks don’t. I never had to worry about my electricity being turned off as a kid because my parents couldn’t afford to pay the bills, a lot of folks can’t make the payment. My life has been relatively easy compared to most, so I am one lucky guy.

Honestly, I’m truly fortunate I did not get caught in my youth while doing some really stupid things. If I had been caught, then my life may have turned out a little bit different. Or at the very least, I would have had to overcome some negative consequences from some of bonehead decisions. I wouldn’t say I’m blessed; I just think I’m lucky. I do not deserve blessings any more than the next guy, I just dodged a few bullets and got away with a handful of careless actions.

I heard a professor say something on a podcast last week that I thought was outstanding. It has really helped me put my priorities into focus. Being in the fourth quarter of my life, my perspective on many things has changed.

What he said struck me as the gospel and I found it to be extremely true. He said what happy, successful people do in the second half of their life is that they go from adding to subtracting.

As a much younger man, I wanted more of everything. As I have aged, it appears I want less of those things I was chasing in my youth and more of the things I took for granted, like family and friends.

I have wants and I have needs. It appears as the older I get; I am able to separate those two much easier without second guessing myself. And maybe that’s what that professor was trying to communicate; When we are young, we want a lot of things that we really don’t need.

As my gray hair grows, my sight gets blurry, and my hearing gets muffled, I don’t want much, but there are a few things I still need. The best part is that I don’t have to have a bunch of money to get what I need. Wants cost money, needs not so much.

I would think it’s difficult to find somebody just starting out in life who does not want a bunch of things, I know I did. It’s only natural and there’s certainly nothing wrong with going for it all. It’s all part of the process of weeding out what is and isn’t important in life. Steps that must be taken on the path to discovering where true happiness resides.

We all have a success story worth sharing and there is something to be learned from them all. In the process of working through adversity, we discover what we need.

I am not particularly good at math, but I do know how to add and subtract. As I visit with others and hear their stories, it becomes clear to me that during their struggles, they learn what to add and subtract from their life to find their success. They are champions, overcomers, and are now living their best life wiser and uncluttered. It’s a pretty cool thing to hear and see.

The older I get, the less I want, because I am learning exactly what I need through simple math. I have no desire to struggle at my age for wants. I think I’ll just focus on what I need.

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Todd Howey is a columnist for BrownwoodNews.com whose articles appear on Fridays. Email comments to [email protected].