Written by: Mikayla Askey, NALJA Director

In the last few months, I have had to confront one of the biggest challenges presented to me that I have ever had to face in my life. I would try to do many things I had done in the past with no problem, but now I could barely do them, and it would tear me down and make me feel like a failure. I knew I had two choices: to get up and keep going or stay down and let the challenge take victory over me. I chose to keep going and push through this obstacle as much as possible to continue doing the things I love. I strived to face the problem and not let it get me down or to stop me. I was determined to ensure this challenge would not define who I am or what I can do.

Many times in life, we may get knocked down and thrown around. At some point in time, we will all be confronted by some of the most challenging obstacles, or we will have to make tough decisions. We must choose whether we want to overcome it all or let it stop us from continuing. Life does not wait on us but keeps going whether we continue to move ahead or not. We may not know the next step or how we should react. However, during these times, we need to focus on our inner strength, our faith and even the support of our friends and family.

One of the greatest lessons I have learned through all of this is that I needed to pick myself up and keep moving forward. It is a mindset. By remaining positive and working through our challenges, we might be provided with greater opportunities. We all need to remember that no matter what has been thrown at us, we need to just keep on going.

Philippians 4:13