Do you ever feel like no matter what you do, it will never be good enough? Sometimes, you mistake your hardships for personal weaknesses. In a society that preaches individual accountability for every issue, it’s natural to feel like you alone support the world’s weight.
However, struggling doesn’t mean you’re weak. You probably demonstrate how strong you are daily, and your efforts deserve recognition and praise. Here are eight ways you’re killing it at life, no matter how badly you feel like you’re failing.
1. You Know How to Let It out Without Crashing and Burning
Sometimes, you need the world to stop and leave you alone, or you may just blow up. When overwhelming feelings take away your happy thoughts, you don’t weave a path of destruction that harms the one you love.
Instead of screaming at your spouse, you write a letter you never intend to send. You hit the gym and pound racketballs until the sweat drips like a shower, cleansing you of rage. You turn your car into your auditorium and drive while screaming death metal lyrics until your anger goes from tiger to housecat. These are all positive coping mechanisms.
2. You Celebrate Your Alone Time
You don’t panic when you have a few silent hours — you embrace the opportunity to practice self-care. You know healing your body and soul first lets you offer the best version of yourself to others.
As such, you nurture your physical body by getting enough sleep and feeding it the nutrients it craves. You cherish alone time as a chance to practice yoga and meditation, to write in your journal and heal your soul.
3. You Have the Courage to Be Kind
You decry societal mandates that say, “Look out for number one.” You believe we’re all in this together, and you actively seek ways to help those in your community.
You know that you get more than you give when you volunteer, so you sign up for shifts to feed those in need. You don’t step over the homeless on the street. Instead, you offer what you can, even if it’s only kind words.
4. You Show Strength by Asking for Help
You realize that behind every CEO on the cover of Fortune magazine, there are dozens of unsung heroes that helped them reach success. You also know that you, like they, aren’t Atlas.
When you face a problem you can’t overcome solo, you reach out to your support system for help. You recognize the power of teamwork, and you and your tribe reach your goals by lifting each other.
5. You Realize You Can’t Change the Past — Only Learn From It
You refuse to let ruminations over what might have been steal precious minutes from the time you have right now to change the future. Instead of dwelling on the one that got away, you open yourself up to opportunities to meet someone new.
You give yourself time to mourn when you lose your job, but you don’t wallow in despair. You dust off your resume, attend networking events and embrace the opportunity to find something more suited to your talents and personality.
6. You Ask, “Will It Matter in Five Years?”
The traffic jam making you late for a doctor’s appointment won’t clear up any faster if you scream and curse. Berating the receptionist won’t keep her from canceling your slot and rescheduling you for two months later.
You want to rage. Instead, you send your mind on a trip five years in the future. You realize that if it won’t make a difference then, it isn’t worth getting upset about now.
7. You Take Responsibility for Your Mistakes
You don’t play the blame game. When you know the budget report error was your flub, you ‘fess up instead of letting your colleagues shoulder the blame. You know it’s better for your growth to examine how to avoid repeating the error than temporarily escape culpability.
When you do slip up, you evaluate instead of inventing excuses. You also embrace the art of the genuine apology. When your frustrated words crush your five-year-old, you apologize for saying you felt too tired to read a bedtime story. You explain that you’re human and ask for forgiveness.
8. You Find Your Purpose in Despair
You know that sometimes, despite your best efforts, there’s nothing you can do to solve all the world’s problems. Instead of throwing up your hands and saying, “It’s too much to fix,” you roll up your sleeves. You find one positive thing that you can do.
You cry for all the homeless pets. Then, you spend your free afternoons volunteering at your nearby Humane Society. You can’t feed all the world’s hungry with a 1000-acre farm, but you can round up your purchase and donate your change to the food bank.
Maybe, you turn helping others into your life’s mission. You find purpose in the struggles meant to weaken you and break you down. Innervated by your despair at couch-surfing, you dedicate yourself to helping other homeless people when you get back on your feet.
Struggling Isn’t Weakness. It Shows You How Strong You Are.
Struggling doesn’t mean you’re weak. It’s often the place where you find your greatest strength, and you deserve kudos for standing tall through life’s monsoons.
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