Opinion
Fighting through stuggle is tough, but necessary task for college students
April 25, 2013
Struggle. It will always be in our lives, like our shadows that follow us day in and day out. You may not always see it or feel it but it is always there.
Of course, not all our struggles are the same, we all have something different to deal with, some might be similar, but none are ever exactly the same because we all feel different or have a different opinion about our own struggles compared to someone else.
I once heard somewhere that God gives his toughest situations to his strongest soldiers. Well I must be one of the strong ones in his eyes because the last two years have honestly been the hardest of my young adult life.
With academic pressures, switching majors, losing almost everything, losing a friend, taking care of my sick grandmother, and a relationship that just seems to be hanging in the balance, I’m not sure how much more struggle I can take.
I like to think of myself as a strong, independent, positive and a happy-most-days kind of woman. I feel as though the tests I have been given have just increased these qualities I feel that I possess. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses though, and those weaknesses just show that no one is perfect; we all have flaws and imperfections.
Sometimes we forget that everyone is fighting their own battles, we forget to think about others. No one wants to have problems, drama or struggles in their life, but regardless if we want them or not, they usually come into our lives to teach us a new lesson about life or about ourselves. They only make us a stronger version of ourselves.
There are ways to overcoming some of our struggles, though.
First we have to let go of the past. Hanging onto anything that happened to you in the past is just counterproductive for living in the moment. Your past makes you feel guilty, unworthy and sometimes enslaved. Only you can give your past permission to make yourself feel that way though. You are in charge of yourself and must decide if you want to be happy or not. Personally, I choose to be happy.
People, you’ve got to get rid of everyone in your life that does not love you, does not support you, does not value you as a friend, and does not trust you. They need to go.
A hard thing to let go of are the thoughts that prevent us from being happy ourselves. Everything starts with a thought; your life does not have to be like a reality TV show. Why not think about the things that make you happy, and get you living a healthy life? Get rid of those negative thoughts that hold you back, tell yourself that you can do anything, take on the world.
Let go of all of your fears. Those fears drowned you and burned inside your chest. If you are always living each day in fear, you are going to fail in class, at work and in your relationships. Just because you don’t know how things will turn out doesn’t mean you just sit back and do nothing, take a risk.
Trust that God has a great plan for you. Go for it, and if it doesn’t work out then at least you know you tried. Stop living by the quote, “Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.” We all know at some point in our lives we have said it and lived by it.
Lastly you need to let go of all those stupid, unproductive habits. What you do on a daily basis are the stepping stones for creating what your life will be like for the rest of your life. Figuring out and recognizing why you do these pointless things, and think silly thoughts that aren’t healthy is only the beginning. Write them down, and then try to figure out when and why they started. Obviously then you need to think about what you should do instead and create some new healthier habits.
Letting go releases the clutter from your life. It’s not always easy to figure these things out, or just let go and move on. Trust me, I’m learning a few of these steps myself. Once we do, though, our lives will be so full of positive and happy energy, nothing will be able to get in our way.
So what I’m trying to get at here is that just because today is not easy it doesn’t mean that you should give up. It only means you have to fight harder.
Miranda Hammel is a journalism major. She enjoys reading, writing, listening to music, and being active outdoors.