Doing the right thing is something that should be a no-brainier. Making your own choices and bending the rules in your personal way can be challenging. It is often difficult to do what is right. Eventually, you realize that doing the right thing is a battle worth fighting. Despite the challenges, doing what is needed is ultimately the right thing.

I have made countless deliberate decisions over the years. This mostly occurred because I did not think them through. My mind led me to believe they were the best choices when, in fact, they were not. But more importantly, I realized that doing the right thing was beneficial. It was just as beneficial as the lies I used to lead myself to believe. Those thoughts were flawed and just not true. I overcame the hard things I doubted. I wanted to believe they were not true. Doing the right thing was hard. Yet, it proved to be the best solution.

For as long as I hurt myself by not doing what was right, I was getting further away from reality. I found it increasingly difficult to deal with reality. I had to face the consequences and the hard reality that had to be accepted for what it was. I had to see things beyond the pointless and destructive actions. I was continuing to hurt myself without realizing that things would be much better. If I fought through the battle in my mind and just did what I needed to do, things would improve.

Eventually last year, I became tired of fighting the same old battle. I realized that the outcome would never be what I wanted. I was tired of fearing the unwanted and uncomfortable conversations. I needed to have these talks with those I valued and who valued me. Many people wanted the best for me. I was hurting myself and disappointing them by doing things I knew I shouldn’t do.

Even as I had gotten on the right track, it wasn’t easy in the beginning. But, it got easier to accept the hard things. I just had to do what was expected of me. Sometimes, this required setting boundaries and limits around the things that were hard for me to walk away from. Even as those things had their issues and challenges, I overcame them. I did what was right for me. Even though it was hard, I understood that ultimately, things improved when I completed what I needed to do.

Accepting that things have changed is hard. I have accepted what had to be, but doing what is needed is still challenging sometimes. Even though I must do it, doing what is right and best for me pays off greatly. It can make or break the hard things in a day, turning them from the worst to the best. I had to see that I wanted the best of them.