Embrace the struggle, trust your journey

I believe that you can truly do great things. I know that you can have the life that you want financially, professionally and personally; all you have to do is put in the work. And that’s what I devote this space to: helping you understand your power and working on harnessing it to live your authentic life. But there’s another side to it that few discuss yet everyone experiences to some level. It’s the part of success that drains you and makes you question everything. And today, I want to talk about that.

What do you think of when I say the name Steve Jobs? How about Michael Jordan? Or Oprah? Wildly successful luminaries who changed the world through drive, intelligence and a bit of creativity, right?

Here’s what I think. I remember a man who was fired from his own company and had to completely regroup at 30 years old. I think about a kid who got cut from the basketball team in high school because the coaches told him he wasn’t good enough. And I see a woman who struggled so long and so publicly with her weight that it at times overshadowed her career as a broadcaster.

These are people who are the paragons of success: wealth, fame, professional accolades, personal strength. Yet they all eventually came to a place where success wasn’t easy. In fact, it felt a lot like failure.

There’s a myth our there that success is singularly defined. And that once you achieve it, the pressure is off. In actuality, the pressure is higher than ever. You have to continuously perform at a high level. And you will come to points throughout your journey where the setbacks outnumber the accomplishments. You will be discouraged. Tired. Overwhelmed. And you will struggle to the point of questioning if it’s all truly worth it.

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Life’s journey rarely is just a string of perfectly timed accomplishments with easy-to-navigate roadblocks. Success can only happen – and keep happening – if you find a way to overcome the obstacles that are cemented into your path. And they will come. But the glorious thing about it is that you can handle. Because you put in the work to get there, you can find your way over whatever mountain you have to climb to stay the course.

You will get frustrated – hey, you may be frustrated right now! Maybe you worked so hard and did so much only to find that the universe isn’t ready for you. And it’s gut wrenching. Don’t quit. Use this time of patience and waiting to truly ground yourself and your energy solidly into divine timing that the universe has in store. Trust in the work you’re doing, pay gratitude to the universe and know that you will be rewarded.

And finally, never forget that you’ve earned the right to struggle. You had a goal, set an intention and – as a result of hard work and discipline – you are achieving it. Though it may feel like failure, you are succeeding. Celebrate your accomplishments and your struggles. Because you wouldn’t be experiencing either one of them if you hadn’t chosen to pursue your authentic self.

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