2017 hasn’t been my year. Everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. And I just had one of those weeks where it just pushed me over the edge and it seems like everyone but me has got their life together.

I just took one of the hardest midterms I’ve ever had and right after I ran into a friend who was gushing about how she was definitely getting a 4.0 this semester.

I didn’t get the internship I had been dying to have for months but one of my friends just got offered a job post-graduation.

Another friend just celebrated her one-year anniversary in the sweetest way possible and I’m 9 months in, still trying to get over some major heartbreak.

I have never felt so completely lost and I decided that this week I was going to sit down and truly remind myself that losing myself is okay.

Because that’s life. You keep trying so hard, giving so much and caring so much. You love and receive nothing in return. You put forth genuine effort but to no avail. Life is exhausting. You feel unappreciated. You see no reward despite every obstacle you've managed to overcome. You're tired because the world seems to neglect your every effort.

Most of us are tired because we have faced too much failure. With failure comes the task of starting over. We're terrified of the idea of having to build ourselves back up: we've crashed too many times. You know you need to take a couple risks and try something new, but it's a daunting task. How many times will we be able to pick ourselves up?

And it sucks because it wasn't always like this.

There was a time when all we knew was hope because we were not yet tainted by the hardships of the world. There was a time when you were 5 years old and got married to your best friend in your backyard because you were sure that this was it: you were in love and happy and it would always be that way. There was a time when the only thing you cried over was broken crayons, never broken hearts. Your biggest fear was the monster under your bed, not failing at everything you’ve ever wanted to achieve.

You grew up, you faced the world and slowly all that optimism transformed into cynicism.

The world seems to have an infinite amount of negativity but there’s a finite amount of how much of yourself you can let go of. You lost pieces of yourself in a broken heart, a few broken promises and maybe even some broken dreams. It seems like the universe has always been one big game and it doesn't matter what strategy you pick-you were chosen to lose in the end anyway.

The innocence and joy that guided you when you were younger are long gone. It all seems hopeless.

Here's a secret: We're all so much stronger than we realize. We are built with passion and perseverance. There's so much more fight running through our veins, we just have to realize that it's there. We are all built with so much more love than we would dare to think we are possible of giving. We are built with so many dreams that are aching to be unleashed to the world around us.

That the world was created with long paths and most actions do not see immediate results. It's a hard path, but it's a hard path for everyone. We're not alone in this. We're all making a change but in small steps. We need to realize in order to grow and change we need to allow for time to pass in between. Some parts of life are quiet and slow.

They're hard to notice. We can't get frustrated while we wait. Just because you're utterly exhausted doesn't mean you haven't started something incredibly wonderful. You're allowed to lose your way. You're allowed to fall a few times too many. Your life doesn't need to be a series of flashy and brazen set of events. It's okay to trip and fall and clumsily make your way to the finish line. As long as you let yourself get there.

It's okay to be tired. It's okay to slow down. It's okay to be cautious. But it's not okay to throw everything away. Don't stop. Ever. You're tired because you're putting in all the right effort. But that's only more of a reason to keep going, to keep fighting. Because one day all that effort will fall into place. One day you will receive more than you have given.

So, be tired, be upset. You're supposed to be. Just don't lay all your armor down: it's a long battle, but it's in your favor.