I loved watching the Olympics this summer. For weeks the news was full of athletes doing amazing things – swooping from bar to bar, lifting huge weights, climbing walls and straining every muscle to run across the finish line. Over and over we saw a jubilant few climb up onto the podium to receive their medals in what was surely one of the greatest moments of their lives.
But there's always that moment when I have to put down the screen and go back to my own life. And watching all the hoopla can sometimes make our own lives seem pretty small in comparison.
We're not running a marathon every day; not hoisting a giant barbell over our heads or dancing on some balance beam. For most of us, back here in our daily lives away any bright lights or fanfare, our challenges are very different.
Our struggles are silent, every single day. Often no one else sees our triumphs and our failures, but they're there all the same.
If we're lucky, those triumphs are the little ones you can talk about with a friend. You can share how you got through a long day at work, or finally went in for that root canal, or kept it together when your car broke down - all the small ordeals we face every day.
But there are many, many people who face much harder marathons and carry heavier weights.
Today, someone got out of bed and managed to get through the day while carrying the huge weight of depression.
Somewhere out there, someone spent one more day trudging the long, awful marathon of trying to beat cancer.
Someone managed, just for today, to not have that one drink.
They kept their temper instead of striking out.
They gathered their courage and packed their bags and walked out the door, leaving years of abuse.
We're all wrestling our personal battles, day after day, and our victories have to be won again and again. The ones no one sees are still as huge as any that happen in front of a roaring crowd.
Whether your triumphs and struggles are great or small, let's give ourselves support when we're struggling and celebrate our victories. Tell a trusted friend. Write it down. Reward yourself.
You deserve it.
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