The Struggle Is Real

How pernicious is it not to have a hundred doors shut in your face and a hundred moments of someone telling you ‘no’, when what you are just trying to do is rise up?

There are so many inducements like: Do not fear failure, but please be terrified of regret; giving up is the birth of regret; the greatest regrets in life are the risks we do not take; do not give up; you are just one step away from your success; poverty is a state of mind; work smart and not hard; optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.

And the sayings go on, but well the struggle is real. You go to bed on an empty stomach because you had to use the last money you had on you to make photocopies of your documents and curriculum vitae. And thereafter had to foot from one company to the other dropping off your curriculum vitae, and at dawn you had to foot back home to wherever you are staying. Weariness kicks in and you are getting pressure from life as the days go by, your stress levels rise to the maximum and you are perplexed by what life throws at you.

Life demands a lot from you; friends come around inviting you to parties and you have little to no cash and have to spend the only money you have . The following day you do not even have bread to eat or there is a family gathering and you have to contribute, if not you hear that “he/she never contributes at family functions”. It gets more hellish when you have children that you are not even able to take care of and provide for. Your clothes are worn out and you have to stitch your only pair of shoes every now and then, because you have walked a thousand miles in them. Having a friend or family member buy you toiletries or give from what they have partially used is like heaven on earth, because you at least get to smell fresh and gathering pieces of body soap to make one large one is a success (laugh).

Well, there are so many stories told by the world’s famous and successful people like Oprah Winfrey, Steve Harvey, Miles Munroe, Les Brown and the list goes on, about their struggles and how they got through life to be where they are today. The struggle is real; there is no sugar coating or pretty talk about it. Any time you suffer a setback or disappointment, remember you have a purpose to fulfil. Just for your information: Steve Harvey is a beloved comedian who is famous worldwide, but many people do not know that in the late 80s, he spent three years homeless while trying to pursue his comedic career and he was living in a car and struggling to make ends meet. Fame and fortune did not come easy but he never gave up.

Fransiska Isaacks is an aspiring fiction and short story writer. You can contact her at shereenisaacks@yahoo.com.

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