You wake up and you feel it...
It sometimes weighs heavy on your chest.
It sometimes makes you unable to breathe deeply...
It sometimes keeps your mind from being able to focus.
It sometimes just sits right in front of you and waits for you to engage.
And, sometimes we like to pretend its not there... ignore it... or worse yet, place it on the shoulders of others and blame them for it...
We all size it up, interpret it, deal with it... a little differently... but we are ALL faced with it... in some way.
The STRUGGLE is real... and maybe that is the wrong name for it...
Think about what likely inspires you... it's the pictures of those people who FIGHT through hardship... those who come back from being down... those that grew up with nothing and accomplished much... those who despite some disability managed to do more.
I saw a speech by a guy that literally had no arms and no legs giving an inspirational speech at some college, and I swear it was just a bit much...
We are inspired by the words that suggest and encourage us to go on, to move forward, to find our spirit & our drive... We are inspired by the words that remind us that it is not easy... and give us confidence that there is a way to get through it.
What inspires me is any message that tells me that I am not alone in the STRUGGLE... and messages that give me confidence that I will not only OVERCOME IT but OWN IT (IT being success & happiness & peace of mind).
But, we are never fully through it.... through the STRUGGLE. Every morning, there it is again, in some form.
As long as we are living, we are in it.
That is why having PURPOSE is so very important... It gives us a reason to navigate through the struggle.
STRUGGLE is what unifies all of us. It is the burden or the opportunity that we all share.
It is the STRUGGLE that makes it "NECESSARY" for us to move forward to resolve our lives.
It is the STRUGGLE that creates the RESISTANCE to our lives, that in turn GIVES US STRENGTH.
"Every force creates and equal and opposite force"... It is physics. And, it applies.
Without some level of struggle, we have nothing to live for...
Without some level of struggle, we have no reason to get up in the morning.
Call it what you will...
But it is the STRUGGLE to overcome what we need to overcome,
It is the STRUGGLE to become who we dream of becoming...
It is the STRUGGLE to achieve what we dream of achieving...
It is the STRUGGLE to LOVE, to DREAM, to BE...
That makes LIFE worth living...
So don't LET it hold you back... don't LET it be BIGGER than you are... don't LET it wear you down...
Know that it is what ultimately unites us all... it is ultimately the source of what inspires us all...
It is what we must embrace and LIVE everyday...
So, whatever it takes... find the words, the quotes, the religion, the people, the strength to face the days... And, when you find those things... embrace them and share them with the world.
STRUGGLING IS LIVING... .
STRUGGLING IS BEING.... When you are BEING with a purpose...
Embrace the struggle... EMBRACE IT, ACCEPT IT, INVITE IT, CELEBRATE IT... As best as you possibly can...
It makes us think. It makes us strong. It makes us LIVE.
In Harmony,
Nestor