I am grateful that I can see challenges as stepping stones to growth and success.

A stone in a creek does not announce whether it will hold you. You find out by putting weight on it, and the finding out is the wobbly part.

Which is why the stepping-stone view usually arrives late. In the middle of a hard thing it just feels like water. The pattern shows up afterward, when you look back at the crossing and see a line of stones you do not remember choosing.

Gratitude for that ability is not gratitude for enjoying difficulty. It is for the part of you that keeps stepping while the footing is still unproven.