“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill

Challenges come to us in many different ways. Sometimes challenges are trivial, and sometimes they downright kick our ass. When we find ourselves in a Hell that either we’ve created or that of someone else’s doing, the hardest part is getting out.

However, as Robert Frost reminds us, sometimes, “the only way out is through.”

When you cannot seem to find an alternate route, your journey through the dark is the only way to the light. It sucks, but it works. It’s tough, but certainly not impossible.

In these times, when we want support or reassurance, or even to be coddled, yet all we get are people telling us to “keep your head up” or “these things happen for a reason” or “life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you,” or the worst, “Smile,” we just want to explode. Even if we know all of this, we don’t want to hear it. We don’t need people telling us to brush off our worries, even if we know we should, because oftentimes there’s more to it.

These are the times we need to buckle down and push onward without looking back. The Hell you are in is not you, it is not forever. It is a temporary part of your life that will, in fact, make you stronger. Then, when all is said and done, you can look back from the 30,000-foot view, note your progress and revel in all that you are capable of.

The important part is to not let your struggles get the best of you. When others are against you. When it seems that everything is going wrong. When the notorious light at the end of the tunnel seems to move further with every step you take. Remember, you can and will make it through because you are strong and resilient.

You are your greatest ally!

Keep who you are at your core and what you represent at the forefront of your mind. You can make it through anything, even if it takes time. Take ownership of the problem and you will eventually find your way to resolving it. Use the wisdom and knowledge in your brain to help you through. If you cannot find it immediately, then seize the opportunity to learn all you can until you do.

Onward.

By Nicholas Lucin