You know the saying, “always stay humble and kind"? It’s really hard to live like that, in fact it’s almost impossible sometimes. It’s hard to take a step back when someone’s treating you badly, and say “I really wanna be kind to this person.” It’s also hard to pause time for a second when you’re doing well and say “I want to remember this moment, I’m proud of myself.” But most of all, it’s hard to be patient and realize that you can’t press fast forward on time. In fact it’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned lately. We always want what we don’t have – more money, more love, a better job, more excitement, etc. And we always want it right now, or at least I do. Learning to take a step back, breathe and say to myself “this is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now” is something that’s taken time but I’m practicing.

It’s easy to feel bad about the things that are happening, because to you, your life is the only thing you know. You are hyper focused on every little detail that’s going on day-to-day so you don’t realize there are other people out there with bigger problems than you. It’s easy to look around and see your friends achieving things that aren’t happening to you right now, and feel like there’s something wrong with your life. You might be thinking: why are my friends getting married and I’m not? Why are they getting great jobs, while I’m stuck at a job I hate? Why am I not as happy as everyone else seems to be? Why, why, why, why, why. For once, realize that those things are probably coming for you but it’s just not time yet. And that’s OK. Every little thing that happens to you brings you closer to the next step in your life. Some are good and some are bad, but time goes on and there’s always sunshine after the darkest of storms.

Personally, I’ve gone through a lot of different struggles this year. Some I’ve handled better than others, but I survived each and every one. The days I spent crying and feeling bad for myself, I got through. The days I spent angry and resentful, I got through. The days I spent laughing and happy, I got through. And to my surprise, my life always showed me that those struggles were meant to happen. If they didn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It’s kind of crazy how that works, isn’t it? How every stepping stone in our lives brings us to the next one until we’re across the hypothetical “river of life.” I’m getting a little Pocahontas here, but no matter how much you try to control things, they’ll happen the way they’re meant to. No one knows all of the answers, but if we tried a little harder to practice just these 3 things, I’m sure we would be a lot happier for the ride.