You get better...

Listen.

I wish I could tell you it gets better.

But, it doesn't get better.

You get better.

- Joan Rivers

We're living in a time where we identify so strongly with our victimhood that our potential has taken a back seat to our pain.

Hey, I get it-life can be a total shitshow. But life can be other things, too. It can also be full of moments of beauty, joy, wonder, awe, meaning, intimate connections, and, potentially, the realization of your full creative and humanitarian possibilities.

Look: It takes work to embrace the messiness of life. It's hard to summon the courage to take responsibility for your whole complex human self and engage in the trial-and-error required to navigate it all with self-compassion and self-connection. But holy moly will developing that skill set lead to a life you never even imagined could be possible.

So much is already there within you. But to access it, you have to stop fixating on what's "wrong" and start doing some cognitive reframing. You've got to expand your perception to include not just your obstacles but the opportunities they bring. I realize this may sound like I'm telling you to simply put on a happy face, but nothing could be further from the truth. This isn't about magical thinking; it's about making a very real shift in your mindset from one that will keep you perpetually feeling like a victim to one that will unleash your ability to overcome.

- Scott Barry Kaufman, PH.D. , Rise Above.