I get it. I do.

I have so many problems that I’ll be busy now until the day I die, and still not overcome them all.

We all have problems, all of us.

“If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.” — Regina Brett

For me this is true.

But because we’re the protagonists of our own little dramas, our problems may seem like their some kinda big deal.

Thing is, if we die tomorrow, our problems probably won’t matter much…

This is not to make light of them.

AT ALL.

Your problems are yours, and they are valid.

Here’s the thing, though, if you’re letting those problems get you down (which I’ve done, myself more than once):

Your problems don’t define you.

How you handle your problems does.

Remember that what you’re going through is just a part of your present and it will soon be a part of your past.

It’s not your life.

It’s a current situation.

YOU are every problem you’ve ever overcome.

You are every loving word you’ve ever spoken to lift others. You are every smile you’ve ever inspired on another’s face. You are the hugs you give and the happiness you share. You are the giggles you tell jokes for. You are the shoulder others cry on. You are the directions you give to a stranger on the street.

You are all of this.

And you are your problems.

But you are not JUST your problems, I promise you. Even if it seems that way right now.

I am not just my problems, either.

In fact, I don’t call my problems “problems.”

prob·lem

/ˈpräbləm/
noun
a matter or situation regarded as unwelcome or harmful and needing to be dealt with and overcome.

chal·lenge

/ˈCHalənj/
noun
a task or situation that tests someone’s abilities.

I call them challenges. And that actually makes a huge difference for me. Sure, they test my abilities, my patience, and my mood. That is neither necessarily unwelcome or harmful.

“How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight?” — Tyler Durdin

You are not just your problems.

YOU Define you. With your actions. All of them. From the moment of the beginning of you, until the end of it all.

And that give you a lot of amazing you to help you overcome your challenges.

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