I am grateful for the struggles

                                             

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”- Frederick Douglass. The mistake we make is to get so distracted by the struggle; we fail to recognize the progress. Avoiding conflict and avoiding the truth can be an obstacle to growing yourself into more of the person you aspire to be. Fear stops us from the natural growth process. You live and you learn, right? This is why today, I am choosing to take a moment and share my gratitude for my struggles which have lad to my progress as the person I am.

For me, gratitude is an experience for every moment. During this time of year, let’s think about gratitude. This is a great reflection period, ending the year with reviewing all that has happened and planning to make room for both newness and the good of what has taken place. The biggest question this time of year is probably, “What are you most grateful for?”

I am most grateful for my struggles and mistakes. This is where I grow and learn. My struggles with how to integrate my identity and how I identify myself, enables me to know who I am. The life long learner side of me turns my struggles into the best parts of me. I am grateful for my struggles for they show me, different parts of myself. I am grateful for mistakes made because I learn and move to the next level. I am grateful that I am open to learning and moving on. I am grateful it doesn’t take me long to know what a mistake is giving me. It gives me the opportunity to reflect and choose again. It gives me the opportunity to challenge and stretch myself. I am grateful to uncover more of my true self.

We must take responsibility and be accountable for our part in our struggles. Being greatly attached to certain beliefs about ourselves can perpetuate a self fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you are not worthy, then you won’t be worthy. If you believe people will only see certain traits then that is all they will see. Some beliefs about yourself may be self limiting. Chang your mind and you may change your direction.

We have shifted away from using and living words like “character.” The actions we take and decisions we make during hard and good times, build character. Our actions become habits building parts of who we are. As Mahatma Gandhi stated, “Your beliefs become your thoughts, your thoughts become your words, your words become your actions, your actions become habits, your habits become your values, your values become your destiny.”