You learn what something was worth once you have been without it for a while. That goes for effort as much as for possessions: “Loss is an effective teacher of the value of hard work.” Losing what you laboured for, or what was rare, sharpens both gratitude and the value you put on your own time.

Which leaves the harder case: work that simply doesn’t pay off. The hurt is granted, not argued away — but “it makes you stronger and teaches you paths you ought to avoid in the future.” Strength, and a route marked as one not to take again.

Loss reads as a reality check as well. What you hold now is not guaranteed to be yours tomorrow, and losing it shows the forces at work around you — which to be wary of, which to turn to your advantage, and which to simply accept.