Perspective... or not?

We all have cycles of up and down.  People always say that we need the down cycles of bad times to keep the good times in perspective.  I have been learning that the bad or dark times are not about perspective.  Those times I learn where my weaknesses are, and when I fix them the good times come in and are are severalfold better than the last good times were.  Doesn't that sound so much better than perspective?