From the womb, we struggle.

Our entry and survival in the new, and foreign world is a triumph so rarely celebrated.

Regardless, struggle is a truth of life wherein we all must contend.  The path of a man’s life, from his first gasp ’til his last, is marked by struggle.

And, none of life is immune from this struggle.

The very seedlings in the ground struggle to break through the earth that they may see the light, and grow towards the sun.

“Seeds strive to become plants by forcing their way through the soil. We can learn from this and push through the struggles we face in life. If they can survive, we can do much more. Keep pushing and pressing forward. Your best is yet to come!”
― Kemi Sogunle

We, just as these seedlings, will encounter some struggle, whether it be with self, nature, or another. This is of no matter, for struggle is the precursor to success.

 Everyone needs help along the way.

You simply cannot make it through the struggles of life on your own. The Beatles said it best, “I get by with a little help from my friends.”

Some let their struggles shape their world and their futures. They let struggles define who they are, and who they are to become.

Life is so much more than what you are going through. Life is about how you become victorious over those things which seem to always disadvantage you, understanding this is growth.

Growth is an expansion of the person, from one state of being to another, marked by changes in stature, emotional state, intellect,  and in spiritual consciousness. And, one can not grow without first experiencing the pain of expansion.

Pain is necessary. 

Just as there cannot be a rainbow without rain. There cannot be growth without some pain. It is how we choose to fight that will always impact the outcome.

You may have no choice over what you are experiencing but you will always have a choice over how you experience it. You can use your power of choice to your advantage.

How you choose to overcome will always impact change, even if it changes no one but you.

“Those who overcome great challenges will be changed, and often in unexpected ways. For our struggles enter our lives as unwelcome guests, but they bring valuable gifts. And once the pain subsides, the gifts remain. These gifts are life’s true treasures, bought at a great price, but cannot be acquired in any other way.”
― Steve Goodier

Refusing to face your struggles retards growth, and retarding your growth will never change what is. At some point in time you will have to face what is, in order to invoke a change, so that what is will one day be no more.

“God has not promised me sunshine
That’s not the way it’s going to be
But a little rain
Mixed with God’s sunshine
A little pain
Makes me appreciate the good times” – Walter Hawkins

Always choose to fight with valor, looking forward to what can and will be.