Several weeks ago I took in the movie The Other Woman with my parents. I fully appreciated the film, not just for its comedic strong points and its fantastic portrayal of women banding together to forge a new life instead on turning on each other when betrayed by the same man; I also really enjoyed its soundtrack.

One of the songs that stuck in my memory, like a popcorn seed husk between my teeth, was the melody that played when Kate *spoiler alert* threw her wedding ring into the ocean because she was ready to face her reality and take control of her life. That song seemed so familiar but I just could not place it – until a friend sent it to me a few days later via text.

One of my favourite videos for the song is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nf7GxxZ7Tl0

*I own no rights to the video which was created by warriorforChrist111 or the song which is performed by Britt Nicole.

When I listened to the song again everything clicked, I recognized Britt Nicole’s voice right off the bat. I’ve been listening to her for the past few years, ever since I went through an inspirational music phase that I’ve happily never completely given up on. Britt’s music is the perfect pick me up when you just need to buck up, square your shoulders and face the day. Several of her songs were blasted repeatedly in my ears before I attended each round of sorority recruitment this past year because her lyrics are energizing, relatable and they make me feel at peace.

But I didn’t write this post with the intention of telling you all about my various music preferences, that’s for another time. I wanted to talk about the lyrics to “The Sun is Rising,” by Britt Nicole. Specifically, the first four lines:

"When life has cut too deep and left you hurting,
The future you had hoped for is now burning,
And the dreams you held so tight lost their meaning,
And you don't know if you'll ever find the healing,"

I think that upon reflection everyday is a struggle to be who you want to be – to find your niche, to hold onto your inner self despite comments and criticism and to be content with yourself at the end of each twenty four hour period.

I have often extolled the benefits of being content rather than happy to my friends. I would rather be satisfied with what I have accomplished yet also sure of my ability to do better – to be in a constant state of happiness can overshadow ones reality. To me, contentment allows one to take an observational role in one’s own life – to note what causes ups and downs, to see one’s failures in the light of success rather than disappointments. Basically, contentment frees you from the shackles of the happiness obsession. Too many people chase an ideal of happiness instead of enjoying what they have and resolving to continue bettering themselves.

All of this brings me back to Britt Nicole, because life often cuts one deep. You are rarely sent one tragedy to deal with, the universe is more likely to send two or three curveballs your way. We’ve all dealt with days, months or years like that and many more will come our way, that’s a certainty.

What people don’t realize though is that when your future is falling apart right before your eyes that’s the best time to plot your revenge on life – success. Sketch out your plans by the glow of the fire created by your burning dreams. Sooner or later, life will come crashing down on you – you may as well be ready.

It may happen when your dream job offer doesn’t pan out, you break up with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or your GPA turns out lower than you hoped – it’s not the end of the world. Those dreams, you have, let them go – they suffocated you, you stretched yourself too thin and when you finally let your dream’s ashes flutter away in the wind, allow let yourself feel free. Don’t fear that you’ll never recover.

Humans are like rubber, eventually we snap back into shape – we find our groove again, sometime it just takes time. Time that’s better spent getting to know who we are than who we think we should be or who we want to be. Be content with yourself, because those are the cards you’ve been dealt – improvement is definitely an option but do it for you.

Tomorrow is a new day and your sun is rising, don’t get lost in the shadows – step out into the warmth of your own contentment.

Cheers.