It's Gonna Be Okay!

How many times in your life have you just thought :
"I can't go another step!"
"This is too hard!"
"I've had enough!"
"Why me?"
"When is life gonna get better?"
"When will I ever find that special someone?"
"Why can't my kids treat me with respect?"
"I can't do this anymore!"
"Can't I just stay in bed all day and not worry about anything?"
"I don't want to 'life' today."

There are about a million different sayings that I could add to this list, so yeah, this is what I would call the "short list" of wanting to "tap out" of the situations that Life throws our way.  We get discouraged about how things are going at our current time in life and don't think we can go any further on our path.

My sister recently had these feelings over the holiday season.  She expressed a deep desire to hibernate until June and just let Christmas pass by.  She didn't even decorate until about the 23rd.  She told me so many things that were happening in her home that just made me want to cry!  I wanted to help her in some small way, but I was powerless to do anything more than let her cry on my shoulder.

Right now my daughter is going through a rough spot with her schooling.  She wants to major in a subject that isn't offered from the university she is currently attending.  When she was given the news that she would have to go out of state to complete her degree she was completely devastated!  She didn't want to leave her family and the many friends that she has made so far.  I felt so bad that again, the only thing that I could do is let her cry to me while talking on the phone.

Then there is my dear friend who came to me confused on how to progress with a new and budding relationship.  She was struck with how strong her feelings could be toward someone else, but she was so anxious to know how the person felt about her.  The biggest thing is trying to be patient and let the other person take the "ball" and run with it.  The best that I could help her with was to tell her to be patient and let the other person take the next step.  This is "killing" my dear friend.

Then there is my hubby's friend who has been "knocked" down by the judicial system.  He is in desperate need of disability pay so he can support his family.  He was injured while working and was not properly compensated by the company.  He has been out of work and trying to get disability pay, but he was once again turned down.  This has left him with a frantic need to get some kind of work to support his young family.

There are so many stories that I can relate that I have come into contact with in just these past two months.  With each person I talk to about their situation I feel inadequate in my attempts to help them feel better about who they are and the things they are going through.  Each person feels so down and like they just can't go another step, that life is too hard, that they don't know what else they can do to make it another day.  They are tired of pretending that life is ok.

Well, I am here to tell each of my personal acquaintances, family, friends, and just plain YOU, that everything is gonna be ok.  No matter what you are going through right this very minute, it's gonna be ok.  You may feel like throwing in the towel, but I am here to tell you DON'T!  Hang in there.  Things will start to get better.  Just hang on, it's gonna be ok.

My hubby got me an amazing CD for my birthday from the Piano Guys.  On this particular CD is a song that is just amazing, in fact I haven't been able to get this song out of my head today.  That is why I am sharing this blog with you today, so you will get this song stuck in your head as well.  It will make you take a step back and take a different perspective on the situation that you are facing right now.  Pay close attention to the chorus of the song.  I promise that even if you have heard it before, you will see life with new eyes and realize that things really are gonna be ok.

Click here for the Piano Guys "Okay"

Doubt is a broken record that plays inside my head.
I try to turn it down, but I can't quite drown it out.
I'm tortured everyday, these never ending worries, Pulling on my sleeves.

(Chours) 

So many times now I was supposed to tap out.
All the walls would fall down around me.
All anybody would tell me, Is all that bad news how it's gonna fall through.
But no matter what they say or what they say,

It's gonna be, gonna be, OKAY! (a a a ay 3x).
It's gonna be, gonna be, OKAY! (a a a ay 3x).

No matter what you've been through here you are.
No matter if you think you're falling apart.
It's gonna be, OKAY!

And there is a battle raging in your heart but you must win.
It comes for all of us, saying we are not enough.
So fight for your life. The worlds gonna try.
To sell you some lies.

(Chorus)

No matter what you've been through here you are.
No matter if you think you're falling apart.

It's gonna be, gonna be, OKAY! (a a a ay 3x).
It's gonna be, OKAY!

WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! (It's gonna be, gonna be)
WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! (It's gonna be, OKAY!)
WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! (It's gonna be, gonna be)
WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! (It's gonna be, OKAY!)

I LOVE the energy these men put into this message! I know they are not perfect people and they suffer from the same trials that we do each and every day. But, WOW!!! They have captured the determination to make a difference in their own lives. I encourage each of you to do the same.

As a follow-up to each of the situations I mentioned above:

• My sister found her ability to survive! She pulled herself up by her figurative bootstraps and muscled through the tough times and made Christmas great for her family.  She found a way to look outside herself, and make things great for the people she was around.  In helping others to feel better, and that they really matter in her life, she was able to change how she was feeling and is now more positive about her situation.
• My daughter took the steps she needed to and discovered she will be able to stay at the current university she is attending for another couple years before going on to get her Master's Degree in her desired field. Will it be hard for her? Heck yes! But she decided to take control of her life and see what is good about the situation.
• My dear friend that is waiting for the guy to get a clue - well, only time will tell if he really will take the next step and at least get to know her for who she is. As she said before, the ball is in his court now, she just needs to take a step back and be patient. Meanwhile, she isn't about to put her life on hold because of his indecision to take the next step. (My advice, as a side-note, to this guy is to stop being worried or afraid of what "might" or "might-not" happen. Take a chance, or the risk, to let your feelings show. She isn't asking for "forever", she is just asking for your friendship and the possibilities that may come from it. Go ahead, take the leap of faith, you never know what good will come from it. If you don't, you'll not know what you're missing out on.)
• As for my hubby's friend who has been "knocked down" time after time, he will be given a second chance to prove he is a good man. He has decided to get back in the game, no matter what anyone else tells him. He will survive the trials he has been given because he realized that someone cares enough to give that second chance to him.

I am here to tell each of you that if you are so tired that you feel you need to "tap out" - HANG ON!! The trials that you are going through right now are shaping you into the person that you need to be. You will be stronger. You will be wiser. But, most of all, you will be a survivor!! 

As the song stated "The worlds gonna try to sell you some lies."  The world would have you believe that you are not good enough at anything and that you should just give up.  I challenge each of you to take a stand and tell the world "NO!  I WILL SURVIVE!  I AM GOOD ENOUGH!"  You need to "fight for your life", don't believe what the world is telling you.  You were born for greatness.  You CAN DO HARD THINGS!  Find the strength to reach for that greatness within yourself.  But most of all, ALWAYS remember:

"No matter what you've been through here you are.
No matter if you think you're falling apart.
It's gonna be, gonna be, OKAY!"