Life is extremely difficult - and I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that. I mean, hell, you're living it as you read these very words.
Whether you're a full-time student or a part-time worker, the difficulty is just the same. It's easy for us to throw in the towel and merely submit to the powers that be, especially in this day and age.
Now, I don't mean that in the "oh you millennials and your technology" kind of way; but in an honest way. I can't tell you how much time I spend wasting away on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat. It's dangerous being on our phones or tablets and computers for that long, especially on social media.
You don't just have to take it from me either because I'm certain that you know it all too well also. From the time you open up those apps, to the hours later when you finally close them, you do so much comparison between yourself and other people. You look at what interesting things other people are doing while you're sitting on your phone. You start to compare your successes to other people and before you know it, you start to look down upon yourself about where you are currently and how much you've accomplished. Or better yet, you start looking at all the things you have yet to do.
We all do it.
And to a point, it can even act as a good thing, if taken in the right direction. Seeing someone else succeed in their endeavors can easily encourage you to continue your pursuit in your own goals and aspirations. However, we tend to do the exact opposite. We discourage ourselves and even get angry at those we compare ourselves to.
"How dare they be more successful than me!"
Irrational as it is, we still do it. Their success doesn't hinder me in any way, nor does it make me any lesser really - but we take it that way and become angry. It's human nature. We want to be the ones people talk about, we want to be the ones envied over, instead of the other way around.
Yet, I want you to know that wherever you find yourself currently - whatever your plate is full with, whatever your circumstances are, you are only as successful as you want to be. You see, we compare ourselves to others without really thinking about how far we've come and how much we've accomplished and conquered.
We're unique in that aspect, because again, we only focus on the negative; the things we haven't done yet.
But right now, I ask you to think back to where you first started off on this grand journey. For just a moment, allow yourself to think back on all the pain and suffering you've faced and remembered how, despite how awful it felt then, you came out of it regardless. For just a moment, allow yourself to think of all that you have lost and after, all that you have gained. In life, you cannot have the good without taking some of the bad - because, without the bad, we would never really appreciate the good things we have in our lives.
No matter where you are now, I want you to know that your story is far from over. I'd like you to repeat after me:
My story is far from over. I have so much to offer the world. I am only the beginning of something spectacular.
Life is overwhelming. Again, this is absolutely nothing new to you. A lot of us eat, drink, and breathe stress - but something that I'm sure will be new to you is this advice: let life overwhelm you. Let that stress come over you and allow it, just for a moment, to hit you with its full force. If it causes you to cry, then cry it out. If it causes you anxiety, let the anxiousness play out until it ends (and it will end before you know it). Just let it hit you and overwhelm you, even if it makes you feel like you can't breathe...
.. and after that,
take a deep breath.
Life is such a complicated thing because it carries with it both simplicities and complexities. It is an insanely frustrating paradox that, at the same time, is absolutely beautiful.
Of course, it's going to be overwhelming. Life cannot be anything but overwhelming, and yet, there is still so much more to life than we can even fathom at the moment. If we cannot fathom the intricacy of life then why do you constantly try to? Life is a strange and beautiful thing and it is what you make of it. You cannot let yourself become discouraged by what other people do and the success they've achieved. In reality, the only reason they achieved that success is because they stopped worrying about what everyone else thought of them and their journey and continued to push forward until they finally reached where they wanted to be.
The same goes for you.
Get out there and achieve your greatness - and while you're at it, take your time.
Enjoy the journey. It'll make one hell of a story someday.
