Lifestyle

Worth The Fight: Why You Shouldn't Give Up When You Hit An Obstacle

by Lily McLaughlin

I am 20 years old and currently in the process of trying to figure out what is truly best for me and my future. I am working on going to school for the arts, and I am so sick of hearing, "How are you supposed to make a living off that?" '

My question to some of you is, how is being artistically talented not a skill? Art is one of the things that makes this world beautiful and worthwhile.

Art allows you to look through the eyes of other people and see the world as they do.

That alone is remarkable to me. The artistic bring life to the dead and give hope to a seemingly broken world.

The music you listen to, the pictures you admire and the books you read are all forms of art. Last time I checked, the musicians I listened to are making a great living while also helping out the world around them.

I am a firm believer in, “You get what you give.” If you work hard and dedicate yourself to what you are passionate about doing, you will make it.

If you fail at first, that is okay; failure is part of the learning process, especially when you are in your 20s.

When the world is against you, it should not discourage you; it should motivate you.

This is not just for following your passion or your dreams, this is also for those of you who are terrified of being who you truly are.

Society enjoys contradicting itself. It tells us to be who we are, then knocks us back down for doing so.

I am telling you this: Do not give up on yourself, who you are or what you want to do. You have to fight for yourself because in the end, it’s your life.

We all want to please other people, especially those we love, but there comes a time in your life when you must go for what makes you happy.

People will hate, people will talk and that’s the reality of being who you are and going after what you want.

If you give up, you are allowing the world to win. You are letting the people who talk have something more to talk about. You are allowing the negativity to get to you.

Trust me, the hardest thing in the world at age 20 can be pursuing what makes you happy. There’s a saying that I have grown to love and hate, “Never give up on something you can’t go a day without thinking about.”

I love it because it is 100 percent true, and it helps me get back up when I continue to be pushed down.

I have tried to give up on my dream of writing and the arts, but clearly, that just didn't work out.

When you want something, and I mean truly want it, you can’t give up easily at all, and you give it all you have.

I have always been the kind of person to jump from one thing to another, but writing and the arts have stuck with me.

That is how I know this is what I am supposed to do. The ultimate test is when you hit a few bumps in the road.

Some of us tend to want to give up when we keep getting knocked back down, time and time again.

Most of the celebrities, star athletes or people you admire have been down the same road. That’s all part of the process: accepting the fact that you cannot and will not ever please everyone.

It just won’t happen, so why should you try? You must also accept that some will understand your drive, and they will help you thrive while others try to silence you.

The ones who try to take your voice away are the ones who should motivate you and empower you to continue to fight.

The sooner you realize that, the better off you will be. Don’t give up, don’t listen to what the world says. You were not put on this earth to please anyone.

If you are going through a hard time when it comes to following your dreams, or just in general, remember, it does get better.

The battle you are fighting will be worth it. Turn your pain into something beautiful; allow your struggle to make you stronger. I promise you, it gets better.