It’s so simple it works.

How you handle hard things can come down to perspective. My dad was good about seeing things from 30,000 feet (Fitting. He was a pilot.). His regular advice to me was a version of, “Someone out there is going through a similar situation but harder.” He’d used that logic himself during the gnarly parts of college and flight school and whenever he needed to check his perspective. He’d visualize a harder version of the pickle he was in, and it would give him confidence and humility.

He gently reminded me of this wisdom during one of my hardest times: the post-partum overwhelm of bringing home twin baby boys. It was easy to imagine, “Gosh, I could have three babies! Or four! Heck, two seems easy now that I’ve visualized being more outnumbered.”

So much of social media nowadays seems to be a contest of, “Who’s suffering the most?” or “Who’s life is hardest?” But you know what’s easier? Knowing your hard thing isn’t the hardest. Knowing you can get through it because it’s not the hardest version of this tough thing ever known to man.

You can do this hard thing. And, with all the social channels, I promise it’s not hard to find someone who’s got it harder than you. Let that humble you, let it check you, and let it give you the confidence to know you’ll make it to the other side of this obsticle.

What Do You Think?

If you’re newly diagnosed and scared, please join the Newly Diagnosed forum. Let us love on you and help you see the big picture and gain some hopeful perspective.