Dark before the Dawn

“I’ve interviewed and portrayed people who’ve withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights.” – Oprah Winfrey, Cecil B. DeMille award for lifetime achievement
You can’t have a story without conflict. Why? Because without conflict, there is nothing to push against. There can be no growth. There can be no transformation.
But conflict is ugly and uncomfortable. And human beings tend to gravitate towards that which is comfortable. We pick staying to a safe path over venturing into the unknown. Sticking with the status quo, because “that’s just the way it is.” Quietly endure because “why rock the boat?”
The thing is, if anything that is beneath our ability to be the amazing creatures we are meant to be has any chance of changing, there has to be some conflict. Messy, uncomfortable conflict.
What bridges that gap, though? If we prefer to be comfortable but know we will need to go through so much agony, what keeps us moving forward?
Hope.
That intangible thing we possess that motivates us to keep holding on through the pain and conflict to get to a much better place. A place that we KNOW in our heart of hearts that we deserve.
If you’ve not yet watched Oprah’s AMAZING speech, I encourage you to listen to it. No matter what you are going through, transformation is possible.