The Story Of “Life Is A Struggle”

For Tom, this was the last straw.  He hated his job. His boss was always demanding more and more and never showed him any appreciation.

Tom wished he could quit, to just walk out and never come back, but he couldn’t.

He had rent to pay, other bills demanding his money, and his car needed servicing. Everywhere Tom looked, his life was hard and a struggle.

For Tom, this had always been the case. He remembered the struggles of his mother during his childhood years. How she had raised him as a single mum, and money had always been tight. How his mother had worked two jobs just to pay the rent and make sure they had enough food. He remembered all the things he had missed out on in school, how he hated having second hand books and clothes.

Tom believed his life was replaying the story his mother had constantly told him: “Life is hard, you suffer, and then you die.” 

This was exactly how Tom felt as he now, in his adult years, lived the story of “life is a struggle”.

Struggle is something that is very real to all of us.

In fact, people do not get to go through life without facing struggle in one form or another.

For some, it is money; for others, it could be their health, and for others, it could be the loss of a loved one. The list of struggles and suffering is endless.

Many people believe that struggles in life are good for you as they make you stronger. They force you to pay attention—to become present to what is going on around you, and more importantly to what is going on inside of you. 

However, pain and suffering can also grind you down, break you, and turn you into a bitter, angry, judgmental, and hateful person.

It all depends on how you react to struggle and suffering and if you have been conditioned to believe that life is a struggle. If you were taught to believe that life is a struggle, then every experience you have will be perceived through that lens.

So, this week’s challenge is to ask yourself if you believe life is a struggle and how this belief helps you.  Does it make you happier? Question whether this belief is a programmed response you have about life from your childhood.

Know that if you have been raised on believing life is a struggle, it will take some time to reprogram your story and believe that life’s experience can be joyful.  You may need to learn to see the beauty in life—to appreciate, to play, to have more fun, and to laugh.

This is not to minimize your struggles. Your struggles are valid. However, recognize that your mind can often multiply the struggles that you feel and make it more painful and unbearable, for your thoughts and programmed beliefs are powerful.

Know that at times you are going to struggle in life and feel lost. But struggles also allow you to appreciate life, to challenge your thinking, to look inside and to make changes.

Ultimately, you create your life’s experiences with your thoughts, and whilst you can’t prevent struggles and suffering, you can certainly control how you see, react, and allow them to define you.

Forever creating,

Deborah Ruth