Scaling Life's Mountains by Michelle C. Ustaszeski
"We deal with disappointing and depressing experiences each day of our
lives. Rest assured that these difficult times are your opportunity to
grow and to learn more advanced strategies in order scale your next
mountain more quickly."
Michelle C. Ustaszeski

It is the simple things in life that please me. But it hasn't always
been that way. There was a time in my life when everything seemed dark.
It was a time when my children were the only source of light in my
life. I was disappointed in myself for descending so deeply into such
an obscure frame of mind and that increasing self-resentment only made
each day all the more dismal. I took refuge in the stories that I
wrote, escaping my own reality by creating new ones and falling to sleep
as a character with a life far better than my own. I was trapped
between the boundaries that I created for myself, allowing no other
feelings but self-pity and disappointment to reside and freely
cultivate.

It may sound quite dramatic to those who are fortunate enough to have
never experienced such inner despair. Unfortunately, most people can
relate to how difficult it can be to climb over the peak of depression,
especially if they have been dwelling at the foot of the mountain for
some time now. But with each minute, each hour and each day that we
remain still, we have a greater tendency to get comfortable within those
boundaries. The mountain becomes a part of the scenery that we soon
fail to see and the journey we were meant to travel in order to reach
our destiny becomes postponed, or worse yet, never conquered.

Life began to change for me after I realized that it was not my
environment that controlled me, but it was I who controlled my
environment. It was I who dimmed the lights in my own world and it was
I who needed to slowly turn them back on. It was during that journey
when I took a second look at my life, realizing that my children needed
me. They deserved a mother who would provide light in their own times
of darkness, guiding them into a better life than I had allowed for
myself during those times of hopelessness. They deserved a mother who
would conquer and move mountains in order to share with them the wisdom
that I would obtain for the day when they would have to set out on their
own journeys. They would learn that happiness is a gift that we give to
ourselves and that regardless of how lost we feel at times, continuous
movement in faith will eventually brink us to our peak.

It was at this time when I began finding the good in all things that I
had subconsciously ignored. I began to notice everything that I
overlooked outside of myself due to my previous self-indulgence with
inner wretchedness. I found that it was the simple negatives in life
that would control me and that the simple positives would, in fact, set
me free. Just as I would have probed for and willingly allowed any
negative to govern me, I began my search for each and every positive
that would eventually set me free. I began taking one step at a time,
falling on occasion, but getting right back up with my goal in mind as
it became more visible with each step. Using my own internal compass
and by creating my very own paths, I conquered feat after feat until I
eventually mastered the art of scaling.

We deal with disappointing and depressing experiences each day of our
lives. Rest assured that these difficult times are your opportunity to
grow and to learn more advanced strategies in order scale your next
mountain more quickly. These difficult times provide you with
experience and knowledge that you can pass on to your children and to
the world. They bestow upon you wisdom that, when looking back, will
cause you to proudly stand in awe at how far you have traveled. Only
through difficulty can you rest at the peak, look out over the horizon
that surrounds you, and rejoice beyond today's imagination at how
beautiful life really is and how lucky we truly are.


About The Author:
Michelle C. Ustaszeski is a writer and photographer of inspirational and
motivational art. She believes that if you can prematurely feel the
emotions of your desired outcome, your reservations have been made and
reaching your destination is simply a matter of time.


QUOTES
"Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of
are our failures, discouragements and doubts. We tend to forget the past
difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our
past achievements as the end results of."
Eric Hoffer

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."
Albert Einstein

"Our energy is in proportion to the resistance it meets. We attempt
nothing great but from a sense of the difficulties we have to encounter,
we persevere in nothing great but from a pride in overcoming them."
William Hazlitt

"Life has an incredible way of working out the details of our
difficulties when we choose not to give up."
Josh Hinds

"Out of difficulties grow miracles."
Jean de la Bruyere

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through
experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision
cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved."
Helen Keller