Baggage & Hope

BAGGAGE & HOPE
Everyone gets hurt at some time in their lives. Most of us get hurt quite a few times. The people I admire most are the people who get back up every time they get knocked down. But, it's more than just getting back up. The people I admire most are the ones that get up, shake it off, let go of negativity, and move forward hopeful. Some people might think it's naive or childlike to continuously believe life can be great. They might say you shouldn't get your hopes up. Do not listen to these people! Hope has given many people the strength to do some really extraordinary things. There have been many situations in history where most people believed the circumstances were hopeless. When we are hopeless, we have given up, and nothing changes if we give up.
Look for positive examples around you and use their strength to remind yourself that you can act similarly in situations large & small. Nelson Mandela, the South African president/political leader, is a great example of someone who maintained hope in times when many others would've given up. Nelson Mandela spoke out against racism in his country and fought for change, but put in prison for 20+ years for this (they didn't have freedom of speech laws like we do in the U.S.). He spent his time in prison being hopeful, working for change, and educating himself despite being told he'd never be released. Not only was Nelson Mandela eventually released, but he used his knowledge to become president of South Africa. He is one of the most respected people in history and I am inspired by his unwavering hope. He believed. If he can stay hopeful, in prison, separated from his family, for all of those years then I can stay hopeful and positive through any situation in life my life.

But remember that there are two types of people in life. There are those who strive to be positive and hopeful and who work to learn & grown, but there are also the people who have been hurt and they get angry and stay stuck there. Then, they go out into the world all types of pissed off, with a chip on their shoulder, always looking for the negative in a situation. It almost seems like they want to be angry! While they are out in the world, being angry, being stuck, they lash out and hurt other people. Stay away from these people!  Sometimes they're easy to spot--very angry, always picking fights, but other times it can be harder.  They can also appear sad, hurt, and depressed and can often have you feeling sorry for them. These people are just as "stuck" as the angry people and will drag you down with them just like an angry person will.  It can be easy to want to help these people and to get sucked into their lives, but be very careful about spending your energy on people who don't want to help themselves. It's a losing fight.

Main Message: 
We all have "baggage"--old hurts that are a part of who we are. We can either use our baggage as an excuse to be miserable and negative or we can learn from those wounds and move forward, using our baggage to our advantage.