We've survived through it all.
Though there are times when the aftermath leaves little room, little mental energy, for celebration.
As such, we lose sight of the need to commemorate life's victories, big or small.
We rarely marvel at our own strength, displayed in the challenges we've overcome. Our own inherent resilience gets overlooked and disregarded.
Lost in translation.
Most of us are still reeling from the situations that required that we were courageous and brave, because they also left us feeling shaken and unsure.
Cycling through periods of adjustment, aligning our inner awareness to the transformation those experiences triggered within us.
Survival.
It awakens aspects of self that we did not know were dormant.
Waiting for the opportunity to reveal what you are capable of overcoming.
Requiring a reintroduction.
Necessitating an acclimatization to the person those circumstances forced us to become.
Giving each of us an opportunity to surprise ourselves.
It's fascinating how we can lose sight of the person we are in each present moment, because we feel the void of who we once were. We are in a quasi-constant state of mourning a former version of self that didn't survive life's circumstances. It requires mental fortitude to remember that the person we have become, is better able, better equipped, to embrace life beyond whatever it is we've been through.
If we allow ourselves to be stuck on what was lost, we miss the chance to get acquainted with what we've gained.
Life demands growth from each of us.
When we lost sight of who we are, for the sake of who we once were, this cycle perpetuates.
Our strength is utilized in support of our transformation.
Pushing us through the chaos, uncertainty and confusion.
If we are not careful, we will spend more time grieving the loss of who we once were, rather than gaining a better sense of this new version of ourselves.
Our present self.
The individual who rose to the occasion and pushed forward in the worst of circumstances.
We allow life, at present, to pass us by if we are stuck in what once was.
To live is to experience the death of one million selves throughout one's lifetime.
Creating core memories along our journey, pivotal moments that feed into our identity.
Love, grief, growth, betrayal.
All phases and stages that will require a death of self, and also a rebirth.
It's always been that way.
So rather than stay stuck in a place of pain and suffering, celebrate every experience as a personal victory.
Cherish each beauty mark and battle wound.
They serve as personal reminders that, through the highs and lows, you are living your best life.