I find that when it gets particularly tough to live my best life, it helps to think about the things that are going well. A lot of the time it is very easy to get caught up in all the ways that things just are not going according to plan – when all our energy is being spent on what is wrong and what needs fixing it is very easy to forget about what is going right. 

I have a lot of things in my life that I am grateful for. And when things get really tough I think, remember where you were ten years ago? And I deliberately dredge up horrible memories because I am in a safe place to examine them – which is another thing to be grateful for, by the way – but also so that I can take a look at all the ways my life has changed for the better. 

Sometimes it can be cathartic to think about how you were back then, and how far you’ve come today. Maybe you are not at your best life just yet, but you’re absolutely on your way to it! It is so important to remember that as human beings, we are always going to be works in progress, and no amount of pressure and stress is going to change that. 

While it is true that pressure makes diamonds, I don’t really put a lot of value in shiny rocks. I would rather have a flawed geode in my hands that is growing and changing into something more beautiful each and every day – slowly and gradually, and often in ways I won’t ever see or notice – than something that has been manufactured by society into a perfect mold. 

Your struggles make you who you are, even when they’re the most miserable fuckers imaginable. Even when it feels like the mountain never ends, it really is okay to take a seat where you are and just look down and see how much you’ve climbed already. It’s significant. Your best life isn’t at the top of the mountain. It’s in the time you take to get there, and all the hurdles you cross along the way. Don’t forget to stop and let yourself breathe – it’s okay to relax once in awhile.