When Life Gets You Down, Let This Article Lift You Up

When people say that life is a bitch, they’re really underestimating her.

She always has a funny way of throwing things back into your face that you wanted to leave behind you. She will make certain situations harder to deal with than others. Even the simplest of things will come with several obstacles that you have to conquer first, and some of them are damn near impossible to hurdle. She will remind you of everything that you hate about yourself in order to keep you from moving forward with your life. She will test you to the point of no return, to the point where you are doubting if this is even worth it. Every month you’re praying for things to go right because you can’t afford another setback.

“When I asked what more could go wrong, I didn’t mean it as a challenge.”

But you know what the most fucked up part about this is? Not everyone has to struggle like us. There are those people that have everything handed to them on a silver platter. They don’t know money problems because their parents pay for everything. They were set up before they even graduated high school. They went to college at the expense of their parents or others, as well. They don’t know what student loans are. They’re probably not even sure how much their education costs to begin with. They don’t get car notes because it was paid for outright as a graduation gift. Not everyone is so lucky. Not everyone knows what it’s like to have that kind of financial backing, the kind that would allow you to soar and be everything that you’ve ever dreamed of being as long as you just do it. Sometimes we’re forced to settle until we can get to where we’re going because we’re trying to make it there on our own. We’re settling for something that at times is seemingly impossible. We’re settling for suffering.

Whether you’re trying to make it through college while working full time or a single mother that had kids young and is trying to work full time to make ends meet and/or put yourself through school or anywhere in between these examples, we all understand the struggle. The struggle is when it seems harder to keep going than it would be to just surrender and let the world cave in around you.

The struggle is when you’re not sure if your rent can be paid on time because your car broke down and needs to be fixed immediately so that you can get to work to pay your bills. The struggle is when you’re living off Ramen and PB&J’s for weeks on end because you can’t afford to buy any meats. The struggle is when you are stuck at a dead-end job that you absolutely hate because it’s what brings you a paycheck. The struggle is when you see a family on the side of the road begging for change and suddenly you realize that you are one or two paychecks away from being evicted and losing everything, too. Holy shit, this could be me.

We are continuously hanging by a thread and living on a prayer.

When you are consistently faced with these challenges on a daily basis, it is imperative that you find a silver lining. Without looking up, it’s hard to appreciate how blessed you are in this life. The good news is that things won’t be this way forever. Your hard work will pay off, and because you work extra hard for yourself and your family, it’s nice to know that you have done this on your own. No one can take that away from you.

Your trials have made you resilient and headstrong, and you are the kind of person that someone would want and need on their team because you know how to persevere. You know what it’s like to go without so you are more thankful than someone that has never experienced loss. Life has been a real pain in the ass but she has prepared you for the long haul. I personally wouldn’t trade my struggles for anything. This is your personal message from me to remind you keep going. In case no one has told you today, I believe in you. You can do this.