I think one of the most pivotal moments for me came during a discussion with my dad. We were smoking a joint and he was playing online poker.
Backstory:
My dad was no average man. He was drafted into Vietnam and hand picked for his athleticism, intelligence, and horrid past (abusive alcoholic step-father) to be a cold-blooded killing machine. The sent him to Army Ranger school at Fort Benning, GA and made him a LRRP team leader.
What is a LRRP? LRRPs make Seal Team 6 look like JV. You've probably never heard of the LRRPs, their unit was disbanded because it was the most dangerous job to ever exist in the military. It was determined the LRRPs were being abused, sent on impossible missions with no hope of survival just because 6 men could kill 3000 before they died and clear the path for the rest of the military. LRRPs in Vietnam had a 90% mortality rate on missions. My dad led 51 missions with 0 fatalities. He's on the first pillar in the Army Ranger Hall of Fame. My dad was never upset they didn't give him his Medal of Honor because he wouldn't lie about what happened, but it bothered him that they gave it to someone who didn't deserve it instead. Watch this video on the LRRPs of Vietnam to get an idea.
On two separate occasions men walked into my family's business to thank my dad for saving their lives in Vietnam. These guys had been searching for him for 20+ years. They were crying, their wives were crying, and my dad was just like "eh no big deal." My dad never felt he did anything special saving their lives because it was the only option. Letting them die was never a choice.
Now you're like wtf does this matter.
I'm sitting there smoking a joint with my dad and I say how he's got to be the toughest son of a bitch to ever live. My dad never lied and with a deadpan delivery he tells me:
"Rock, you're tougher than me, your epilepsy is a harder fight. Vietnam was hard but I got to fight my enemy. You'll never get to see yours."
So whenever I feel blue I just think of that moment when one of the greatest soldiers in the history of the world told me I am tougher than him because of how I deal with my epilepsy.