As funny as it might seem, I always thought things were supposed to get easier as I got older. I would go to college and things would finally work out. I would get a job and I'll be happy. I would move and everything will be fine.

I have now realized that I cannot escape struggles in my life. There's always going to be an obstacle in front of me that I will have to get over, there's always going to be disappointment and there will always be mistakes that will be made.

Life is a battle. It's a battle for happiness, for confidence and for success.

I know I am blessed with this life and know that it can always get much worse. I know that I have a lot to be thankful for and that I am gifted with some of the most loving people surrounding and supporting me.

...But sometimes, I get in a funk where I am consumed with the struggles in my life. I think, "when will things finally be perfect"?

I think I have finally accepted that life isn't meant to be perfect. It's meant for mess ups, for failures and for set backs. I have realized that all of these things can be seen as negatives, but I am choosing to see all of the things I have been hurt by or struggled with as challenges instead. Challenges that better me, strengthen me, and prepare me for my future.

It's difficult to stay positive sometimes and it truly is a battle to, "keep on keeping on" when things get tough. But wouldn't it be boring if everything in life went smoothly? We all would stay the same and never know what true success felt like.

The failures, heartbreaks, and mistakes were all meant to prepare us for something better.

I am choosing to think positive by being thankful that I am getting the opportunity to grow even more than yesterday. It is something that I have to work at on the daily... but it also will make life so much sweeter.

So I urge you to stand up every time life pushes you down, to stay positive through it all, and to know that you will become stronger because of it.