When Life Gets Tough, Don’t Give Up

There is a viral meme currently going around on social media, that I’m sure you have seen already.

The meme states, “ If you don’t come out of this quarantine with

1) A New Skill

2) Your Side Hustle Started

3) More Knowledge.

You never lacked time, you lacked discipline.”

Now this one meme, has been having a TON of mixed reviews.

There are some people that completely agree with the meme’s statement.

While there are others, who utterly disagree, to the point of rewriting the meme, and crossing out the,

“you never lacked time, you lacked discipline part”, and instead stating,

“You are doing just fine. We are going through a collective traumatic experience. Everyone doesn’t have the privilege of turning a pandemic into something fun or productive. Stay healthy.”

I understand where both sides are coming from, completely.

But my thing is, if you are someone that feels offended by that quote, and you are still scrolling on social media; you have to turn to yourself and ask,

“why was I so offended by that quote, especially if I’m using up this time, to scroll up and down on social media?”

Other than our health, our lives, and the people that matter to us the most, one of the most essential aspects in life is time.

What we do with it, and how we choose to spend it.

For many people, this time is to reflect, to relax and to recharge.

A lot of people work a lot, and have no time to relax, so they will use their quarantine time to do just that.

While other people, whether they work a lot or not; will use this time to acquire new skills, to work on their goals, and to gain new knowledge.

Personally; I will be doing both.

I will be spending this time to work on my goals, acquire new knowledge, learn new skills and break bad habits.

But I will also be relaxing, recharging and reflecting on my journey.

I don’t want to get too comfortable now, because I don’t look at the 20’s as a time for me to be complacent, or to be comfortable.

Also, as a young Black woman, I find myself reflecting on the experiences my ancestors had in slavery; and I say to myself, if they could endure all that mistreatment, and still strive to progress, create, and acquire new skills, than so can I.

Last year, around this timeframe, I had gotten very sick, and had to go to the hospital for a few days. As I was in the hospital, I was still working on my blog. This was before Key To Fashion was a branded site, and it was solely a fashion blog.

I remember the nurse getting ready to stick the IV in my arm, and stating to me,

“Okay I’m about to put the IV in.”

Almost insinuating, “perhaps you should put your phone down now” and I looked at her and stated,

”Okay”, and I continued writing.

Now, in no way shape or form, do I expect ANYONE to do what I did, if they were ever in a situation like that.

It totally shows how crazy I’m when it comes to succeeding in life loll. But at the same time it shows how when things get tough, you can’t give up.

Some of the most innovative ideas, have been sparked during tough times. Some of the biggest doses of inspiration, have been sparked during tough times.

The first night I was laying on the hospital bed, I turned on the TV, and what was on the TV was a documentary. And I absolutely LOVE documentaries.

But this documentary, was one that I needed to see. It was called Boss, and it was about Black entrepreneurs and business owners from slavery until modern day.

I learned so much from that documentary, and as I laid in that hospital bed, I felt this extreme dose of motivation and inspiration dance through my body.

I share this story to say, I think it is important to relax and recharge during tough times, and most importantly get your mind right.

Your mental health is vital in life. I think there is power in doing, what is best for you in life, because at the end of the day this is your life.

But there is also power in seeking knowledge, whether it’s reading, listening to podcast or watching documentaries.

There is power in creating and working on those ideas, that have been swirling in your head for years.

There is power in working on becoming a better you, and feeding your mind with positively and inspiration during dark times.

So whatever you do, I encourage you to use this time wisely, because once this time is gone, you can never get it back.

Yes, we are in a global pandemic, and at times you may simply want to do nothing all day. I completely understand, I have those days too!

But if you are someone that is spending most of their time on social media, you are doing more harm to yourself, than good, especially when everyone is talking about the pandemic. And this is something, I had to tell myself as well.

Why spend all this time on social media, when you can be growing in various aspects of your life?

If you rather relax, than seek knowledge, or you rather relax, than work on your goals at this time, that is perfectly fine, do whatever you want.

Everyone’s quarantine situation, and life is different, and as human beings this is a notion that we have to collectively come to terms with.

My thing is, if your idea of relaxing is spending your entire quarantine scrolling up and down on social media everyday, or watching your favorite celebrities IG lives, than you do lack discipline.

All that time you are paying attention to others, you can be paying attention to yourself.

And that’s why the meme offended some people, not because it lacked the ability to seek to understand other people’s situations, but because of the fact that sometimes… the truth hurts.

Moral of it all, life can be tough at times, but behind every dark cloud, there is sunshine coming.

Behind every moment of struggle, progress will follow. Behind every low moment, a breakthrough is coming. So try your best not to give up, when life gets tough. Walk with optimism and faith, and always remember that things will get better in due time.

This to shall pass.✨

XOXO

Key To Fashion