DECODING THE STRUGGLE AND HOW WE CAN LEARN FROM IT

At some point, every person on this earth has a moment in life when they look themselves in the mirror and come face to face with who they really are. Not who their friends say they are. Not who their family or coworkers tell them who they are. That’s more accurate. They tell you who you are. They don’t even bother suggesting it. No one in life has the ability to do that outside of yourself by the way. People can give you hints and point you toward a path, but ultimately, you must navigate yourself to your path, to the final destination of your higher self. During that pursuit, we find our true self, our higher self. I use the word pursuit because that seems to be the happiness in and of itself. That’s what we all ultimately want in life: to achieve our highest self. But many times, if not all the time, we want the easiest route possible, don’t we? No bumps, no potholes, no traffic, no waiting, just instant gratification. Like this blog, ‘just get to the point already, spare me the in-between details‘ you might be saying. We turn away and convulse at even the thought of struggle, don’t we? If it’s a struggle we enjoy like exercising or completing a project at work, we endure those struggles with ease. We lie to ourselves and say it’s difficult, but is it really? That’s called ego struggle, which shouts “Hey look everybody, here’s my trophy! Look I’m like you all I struggle too, see look at me!” This mentality doesn’t come from a true place of struggle, because our ego gets a pat on the back when it’s all said and done. When you struggle, not knowing if a reward lies at the end of it, you exercise true self-awareness. When you actually look in the mirror for the first time, you come to grips with who you are deep down inside. For me, the struggle is defined as the moment when you acknowledge who you really are, and begin the agonizing process of enacting change in yourself. People put themselves on these paths not knowing where that actual destination even is. But for better or for worse, they are going to see it through to the end. What I have recently found out to be true is that there is more joy than I ever could have imagined in this kind of struggle. It seems to be less about the destination than it is about the six inches in front of my face that must be conquered. That next step that must be taken. Because I know when I add up all those steps, when I add up all those inches, that’s going to make the difference in the end. That is what is going to get me to my final destination, to turn my dreams and visions for a better life into reality – the step-by-step struggle. That’s when I’ll be introduced to my highest self and all my beliefs about what was possible in this life will have been validated. Have the courage to look in the mirror and face yourself. There’re probably some things in there that you’re not going to like. Just keep staring because there is a beautiful person inside dying to get out. In that stare, that person will tell you everything you need to know. That person will look you right in the eye and speak the truest words you’ve ever heard. It will put you on the path to greatness. It will put you on your own personalized pursuit of happiness, not someone else’s. The actions that we take after having an honest look in the mirror can determine the outcome of the rest of our lives. So look in the mirror and do the hard work, because a treasure of unimaginable bliss lies on the other side of that struggle. Never settle. Never quit. Never stop dreaming.