Negative experiences in our life can make us question whether the right outcome was achieved. When life doesn’t go as planned, we end up being filled with regret and seek to find closure within ourselves. But what we don’t realise is, maybe the outcome was for the best.

Sometimes when you’re going through a tough time, you might hear your loved ones say to you: “Don’t worry, everything happens for a reason”. What exactly does that saying mean?

Well, for me, it means a lot.

When I was going through the toughest time in my life, I believed that it would never get better. I believed that I would always feel as unhappy as I did back then. I believed my life would never turn around. My beliefs turned out to be absolutely untrue.

Six years on, I feel the happiest that I have ever felt; I have a husband that would do anything for me, 3 children who make me proud to be a mother, and a writing career that is taking off. I never thought I could ever be happy again.

That period in my life was an absolute struggle; a time when I felt useless and unworthy of being loved. But I believe it happened because it was for the best. I never knew how strong I was until I went through what I did. Now I know that I deserve so much more than I once thought.

And for me, “everything happens for a reason” isn’t some cheesy sentiment; it’s not just an excuse for why things happen the way that they do. I think it’s an attitude; a way of life. Every experience in our life happens in order to test us, challenge us, make us a stronger person. And I think we need to accept that life will not always turn out the way that we want it to, but within time, we might realise it was the right thing for us.

Looking back on my life, there have been so many experiences that have challenged me. When I got my heart broken, when my first University preference was declined, when I had my first child at 18, and when I lost trust in many of my loved ones.

But if those things hadn’t happened; I would’ve been with the wrong person, studying the wrong course, working for a job that didn’t make me happy, not have realised my dream to become a writer, or known the degree to which I could love someone.

I take comfort in knowing that the little things in life may occur by chance, but the important things are part of a bigger picture. I try my best to move forward from the past and accept that everything happens for a reason.

Because no matter what we do, we cannot change the past. The only thing we can change is the future.

Thuy Le (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer and Youth Work graduate living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.