Duh.

Isn’t it weird how sometimes someone says something that is right on point. They say it and you literally feel like a light bulb lit up on top of your head. Then you kind of think, “why didn’t I think of that it is so obvious?” Duh!

But it is that step outside of your own mind, the perspective of an outsider, that is exactly what we need to understand a situation and what we need to do, or not do. It is usually our closest friends or family that refuses to sugarcoat the truth and just lays it down like it should be. It is those people, the ones who are straightforward and know that no matter what they say, your relationship with that person will endure all opinions, and they will be helping to make you a better person in the end that we need to keep close. Those people are the ones who deserve our respect. They are the most valuable people in our lives and the ones we should turn to when we know the truth just might hurt.

You just have to squint and stay strong, pull it together and hear the truth.

… then the hard part is ensuring that your actions are aligned with what you heard, what you know you should do and what you actually do--That is all up to the individual and a true test of character.

Emotions.

During parts of our lives, it is ok to be sad. We don’t have to feel guilty for being unhappy or unsatisfied. People often think that because things could be worse, they have no right to be unhappy…but that is not true.

The difference is being unhappy and giving up. Sure times get rough and many of us want to throw in the towel. Even when we try to be positive and assure ourselves that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes the tunnel closes and leave us deeper in despair and less hopeful.

It is those times we must continue to be positive. Giving up is taking the easy way out. It takes a lot to embrace the hard times and just consider them as a lesson to be learned rather than just quitting. But what do you learn from quitting? You learn that it is easy, but not fulfilling and it does not accomplish a thing.

There is always going to be something better on the way. You might hit a few potholes on your way there, but the reward will be waiting at the end and you just have to keep faith that it will be there.

We can be unhappy and embrace the hard times, but we must remember that not giving up means understanding why we are sad and doing something about it. Taking a step back to examine the situation and planning an attack will lead us closer to achievement.

Emotions are what make us. We should feel sad. At the times we are truly sad, it feels good to know that a person can feel so deeply. It also means that at the times we feel happy, we are truly experiencing the full feeling of that emotion. If we didn’t feel anything, what would drive us? What would make us want to achieve and do better?

Being sad and emotional is not a bad thing…it means we are human.