I remember living through the struggles of many individuals in my life. When those people struggled, I ached for them. I wanted to make it better. These were good people and it hurt to see them struggle so. Then, in time, for the most part, their struggles ended and they got to the other side--the illness was cured, the baby was born, the house was bought, the relationship renewed or replaced. Of course, in some cases the struggle ended with a painful event, but even then, the painful event was eventually replaced by a new day, a new life, and new opportunity.
I am writing about this today because I'm reminding myself that whenever we face struggle or those we love and care about face struggle, we have to remember that a better day will come. So while we struggle, we must keep hope alive and we must also keep our values and commitments strong and alive. Since struggle often requires great energy, emotion, and patience, you may have to reduce your commitments a bit to build up energy during times of struggle. You may have to make time to deal with the ramifications of the struggle, but that doesn't mean you should change your deep commitments, values, or dreams.
So when struggle happens, remember to do the following:
- revisit your values and dreams. Keep those strong
- revisit your schedule and commitments--revise as needed to keep your energy positive and well directed.
- stay confident and positive that the struggle will eventually end and a new day will arrive
- continue to grow and develop your skills and abilities for a bright future for yourself and others