Sometimes life seems like an endless struggle from one challenge to the next. In such times we might either need to work through it on our own or learn to ask for help.
I have recently heard the song by Miley Cyrus called ‘The Climb’ where she sings about those times of challenge. Let’s have a look at her message and what we can learn from it.
There’s always going to be another mountain
The truth is that after one challenge is dealt with and finished you can count on the fact that there will be another one sooner or later. Clients who come to therapy often want to have problems go away, believing that ‘if only I have dealt with this, I’ll be happy’.
It’s always going to be an uphill battle
It still surprises me that after however many years people have lived and collected life experience, there is still the glimmer of hope that dealing with issues will end. ‘Happy ever after’ might be portrayed in fairy tales and movies but is not life’s reality. You will have realised by now that those challenges will always be an uphill battle and sometimes you going to have to lose. The question is: How are you going to react or respond to this fact?
It’s not about how fast I get there
Miley reminds us about the secret that has been out for decades if not centuries: It’s the journey that counts. In her song she says: ‘ain’t about how fast I get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side, it’s the climb.’ The truth of the matter is that most of us keep our struggles to ourselves. Vulnerability and weakness are neither accepted nor welcomed. With the question ‘Hello, how are you?’ no one really wants to know that you are currently struggling.
Lost with no direction, my faith is shaking
Assuming that this girl, or whoever is writing her songs, is talking about real challenges faced it shows that even the stars that always look so glamorous and happy are facing their stuff. Once in a while, we hear about some starlets’ drug abuse or challenges in a relationship but most often we focus on their perfect body shape or flawless make-up and seem to forget they are human after all.
I got to keep trying
As I have said before, the question is how you are going to react or respond to your challenges. The problem itself is never the real problem; it is what we make of it. I remember one of my clients who came to me with breast cancer as her health issue. When I asked her how satisfied she was in relation to her health, she said 9 out of 10. I asked her: ‘So where does the breast cancer fit into that?’ and she responded: ‘Oh well, besides that I’m healthy and I know I can handle it!’ Wow, what an attitude!
The moments that I’m going to remember most
The song brings it to the point: You might not know it but those challenging moments are the ones that really make you grow. It is when you have no choice but to do something, to change, to rethink, that is when real transformation happens.
Keep your faith. And ask for help.