On Challenges and Self-Motivation

Updated: March 15, 2020

When we were young, some of us fortunately received decent upbringings. When I say decent, I mean people who grew up well-sustained, whether emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually, or financially.

Unfortunately, many of us didn’t receive such privilege. Back then, we think we are too unlucky to experience challenges at an early age.

What’s worse, some of us felt alone dealing with these occurences. No one is there to support us. Sometimes, nobody around can even help us. It wasn’t easy, for a young, incapable, weak, and unconfident child we used to be.

Thunderstorms and tidal waves hit us and almost sank us to the deepest of the sea. But under pressure, we learned how to swim. And since then, we became great swimmers.

Now, we find ourselves alive, continuously and spontaneously sailing in bigger oceans. Full of strength to face the unknown. Filled with wisdom to both go with the flow and swim against the current.

Whatever it is that’s waiting for us; tides will be bigger, storms will be stronger, typhoons, monsoons, and hurricanes will come; but one thing is sure, we conquered everything when we were powerless, and we’ll surmount the rest that’s coming, now that we are fearless.

And to all the young sailors out there, who are now in similar unjust situations. Just as how we got scared in the past, a simple idea of what’s ahead might provide a little courage that might be helpful for them to keep going.

There’s no need to worry because…

You will learn from it

Things happen for a reason. While this is already irritating to hear, it’s true.

I agree that it is frustrating to think of the reasons and seek for valid explanations about everything that is happening to you, and somehow you feel cursed and condemned.

But you know what? Sometimes there are things that you have to understand so you could learn from it. And when you learned from it at an early age, the rest of your years will benefit from that lesson.

And those years will certainly be longer than your years of tribulations.

You will conquer it

Eventually, you will understand why experience is really the best teacher. And at such an early time, you are already seeing this teacher and appreciating what it teaches you.

The best teacher in the world is already preparing you for a bigger battle. A battle you are destined to conquer. Life believes that you will, thus, gives you some of the toughest tests it intends to give others later on.

So that one day, you’ll have that courage and confidence to hold upon.

You will thrive from it

When we learned our lesson, and we utilize it, we thrive. Things that happened in the past are no longer a part of our ill-fated experiences, but an element of our successes.

When you have a perfect life, there’s no more things left to improve. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as perfection so that feeling is most likely a mistake.

And if other people failed being prepared, well, it’s still not impossible for them to recover like you did, but certainly, things become more difficult the later it comes. The earlier you learn, the earlier you will survive. The more time you can develop yourself and thrive.

Just pick yourself up

It wasn’t easy to stand up for yourself. That’s why you shouldn’t. You have to stand up for other people.

Not totally to prove those who didn’t believe in you that you can, but to prove those who didn’t believe in themselves that they can.

As a matter of fact, the circumstances in our lives aren’t really the challenge to us. The real challenge lies in relentlessly finding the motivation within ourselves to keep fighting.

When we learn how to motivate ourselves, we will be able to share it with others someday. You will be able to uplift countless people and by that time, you’ll be more than blesssed for everything that you’ve had in your previous years.

And you will call it wisdom.

This article is written by April Ann Ramirez. She is a Financial Literacy advocate, an art and music enthusiast, a writer, adventurer, and a dreamer.

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