the struggle is real

We all go through things that we would rather not go through.  

We struggle in ways that tend to shape us.  

In fact, we have no option but to be shaped.  

Sometimes the struggles make us stronger, sometimes they harden us, and sometimes they make us numb.   

Struggling does not mean you have wandered off of the path.  

Struggling is part of the path.   

Struggling does not mean you are giving something more weight than it deserves.

Struggling is something that is real.  

I’d say, ‘it’s ok to struggle,’ but it’s really not even an option.  It’s inevitable.  And the thing that’s ‘ok’ is to admit is that it’s real.  

The most beautiful mountain tops I’ve seen have not been the ones I’ve driven up or flown past but the ones that have left me a little bruised and with a limp.  Because it’s not just the view but the journey you’ve taken when you’re looking out from the top.