The best stories are those where the hero of the story overcomes significant trials and hardships through perseverance. Stories like these are where we find our role models—the people who we want to become like. Think of your favorite movie from your childhood. List your favorite book series from elementary school. Most likely each of these had a moment where the main character faced a roadblock that made the end goal seem impossible to achieve. My favorite example of this comes from “Finding Nemo” and Dory’s chant to “Just keep swimming”.

When I first saw “Finding Nemo” and heard Dory encourage Marlin with her silly song, I didn’t think much of it. At six years old, the most adversity I faced at the time was avoiding naps or wanting more ice cream for dessert. Sitting in a movie theater watching colorful fish for an hour and forty minutes was a pretty good time already. The seagulls screaming “Mine!” completely distracted me from putting much thought into themes and messages from the movie. It didn’t concern me at the moment that I didn’t have a full understanding of what it meant to keep swimming. Now with middle school, high school, and one year of college under my belt, it’s easy to see that Finding Nemo is more layered and deep than we tend to give it credit for. “Just keep swimming” is more than a little song, it’s the one thing that kept Marlin moving forward each time he wanted to turn back.

To keep moving forward in the face of trials is the hardest thing to do. So often we let ourselves listen to voices that say that we aren’t good enough or that we will probably just fail in the end. Too easily can we let ourselves lose the spark of tenacity inside thinking that what is coming will be too difficult to achieve? When we do fail we talk ourselves into thinking that we are not worth love, forgiveness, or a second chance at becoming better.

Writing this article is difficult because it is so easy to doubt that whatever we strive to say or share with others will be perfect enough for others to hear. I don’t know why I felt that I needed to write about this topic. However, I do know that one of the greatest truths about our lives is that failure is not the end. Heartbreak is not a final destination but a step to lead us to find the truth. I know that when you push past the anxiety and doubt that makes you feel lost, doors will open for you to find your way. You will be strong enough to move forward. You will know the right decision to make. As you try to do your best in every situation, you will find refuge.

“Just keep swimming” is hope for the future. Never let doubt stop you from becoming the person you are destined to become. Keep on doing what you love and stay true to what you know to be true. You will make it.