Remember that feeling? It's one that you probably don't face often. That feeling of a pit dwelling in your stomach and the urge to vomit. Your heart is racing, and a bead of sweat drips down your forehead. That feeling of disappointment or sadness when life knocks you on the floor and any air in your lungs has disappeared. We all can remember that feeling.

When you're there, it seems like there's nothing you can do will alleviate your stress. It seems like life has its foot on your chest while you're lying on the ground begging for air. We all know it—life isn't fair. Things don't go as planned and expectations sometimes seem like they'll never see reality.

However, your life is not over.

You've fallen, but it doesn't mean that life is over as you know it. It just means that you need to get back up and keep pushing. At the same time, that phrase is extremely overused and holds no validity to it. There's one major flaw in the statement "Get back up and keep pushing." Obviously, there are blows that you can't get up from right after you've received them, and the statement is much easier said than done.

It's important to remember that while you're picking up the pieces, you need grace. Grace to continue on and remember that failure is not rare; instead, it's a given. The world is designed to hold us back. However, it's our own determination and drive that makes us successful and hides us from the overwhelming shadow of failure. Remember that as you scramble to stand up, that you are human. You will fail again and you will hurt again...but being knocked down does not make you broken.

Being knocked down is much more than failure, it's an opportunity. An opportunity to grow into the person who can turn the other cheek at life and withstand a blow while remaining powerful enough to hold hope and grace within your heart. Once you're able to give yourself that grace to grow, you will realize that your problems in life are checkpoints to pass in order to grow into the next phases of your life.