We all know what the world generally interprets the phrase 'They made it!' as: reaching the top of a career ladder, landing a high-paying gig, or becoming famous are just a few examples. Essentially, they all involve reaching an external feat, generally accompanied by large amounts of wealth.
While such goals have their own worth when pursued in an honest way, it's not something that everyone will achieve in their lifetime. Not everyone will 'make it' according to societal standards, so does that mean only the rich and famous are successful?
Of course not.
I believe everyone has the opportunity to 'make it' not once, but several times in their lives. Consistently. Again and again. 'Making it' can be a habit, one that may just be more valuable than the accepted meaning.
Think about it: have you ever been in an emotional state in which you thought you would feel that way forever? Or, were there external situations that made it difficult to see a brighter, more open future? In either situation, did you think that you would never make it out, maybe never even feel happy again?
But you did. More than once. Whether it was small joys or big wins, there were moments in which you made it out. That's why I think that 'making it' can be so much more than becoming known to others or making lots of money - it's overcoming obstacles, especially the ones that you never thought you could.
In an unabridged publication of Sylvia Plath's journals, she writes the following beautiful words:
"I want to taste and glory in each day, and never be afraid to experience pain;
and never shut myself up in a numb core
of nonfeeling, or stop questioning and
criticizing life and take the easy way out.
To learn and think:
to think and live;
to live and learn:
this always, with new insight,
new understanding, and new love."
I think that when hardship arrives, a common coping mechanism is to ignore and possibly even reject uncomfortable feelings. While that has its own purpose, Sylvia Plath's words here opened my eyes to the possibility that it doesn't always have to be the case; feeling those unwanted feelings can make us feel more alive and less afraid, and the more we face them the braver we become.
Each struggle leaves us with "new insight, new understanding, and new love". And so, we have more than just 'made it' - we have made it beautifully, time and time again.
To you, me, and we: always and forever, you will make it.
