It’s incredible how much emotional baggage we carry as we navigate life’s highs and lows. Interestingly, a lot of this baggage from negative experiences, especially from childhood, is what keeps us motivated, driven, and pushing forward. However, other parts of that same baggage often place mental roadblocks of doubt in our path. The constant struggle is the push and pull between these two sides of ourselves. The challenge lies in keeping the driven part of us outspoken and at the forefront, overcoming obstacle after obstacle to keep moving forward, and maintaining focus on what sustains our motivation.

Then, when you least expect it, that other version of yourself in the mirror rears its ugly head. It reminds you, even if only for a moment, of all the reasons why you should fail — why you should never experience the life you’ve always dreamed of. It tells you that life is for those other folks with more “normal” upbringings. It questions your nerve to even dream those dreams, given where you come from. It suggests that happiness never comes from the dark place that birthed and raised you.

What were you thinking?

But then, you awaken to a new day with new convictions, aspirations, and breath in your lungs. It’s at this point that you realize what has been at the core of every strong desire leading you down this path. You recognize the fuel behind your fight to always strive for a better life, despite the obstacles that have exhausted you at times. You understand the motivation behind your constant struggle to live in your purpose, and why you’ve spent years insisting on growth and learning from your mistakes.

It’s the thought of returning to that dimly lit place that raised you, that unstable shade of darkness that taught you a different way of life. Sometimes, it seems so easy to slip back into that shady natural way of being. You wonder if this fight to “not look back” will last all your days. So, you focus on looking forward, pushing every day to inch further away from that cloudy place that seems permanently fixed in your rearview mirror. It’s a reminder that all you can do is fight the good fight. Every day, you look at your reflection and remind yourself that there is a reason you survived what others haven’t. You use it as motivation to keep charging forward, knowing your fight and drive inspire others who have never even heard your story. You understand there is a bigger picture here. That the strength that helped you survive that dark origin story is the same strength that propels most people to achieve a hundred small victories and live in their purpose. Without even realizing it, you’ve touched many lives along the way.

There is definitely a bigger picture here. We’ve survived for a reason. We just have to focus and tap into that warrior-level grit that can deliver whatever we want in this world. We must remember all those less worthy, who have overcome less to gain more. So imagine what we’re capable of doing. Overcoming what we already have does not make us “less than”; it gives us the fortitude to conquer almost anything.

So move forward, keeping that knowledge in your soul.