To everyone fighting battles no one else sees — your strength matters.

This is for the ones who keep showing up.

The ones who wake up every day already exhausted — but go anyway. The ones giving their all, not because it’s easy, not because they’re winning, but because they refuse to give up.

You might not see them on magazine covers or trending online, but they are everywhere — fighting quiet battles, pushing through invisible storms, holding on when everything in them wants to let go.

Not every struggle looks dramatic. Sometimes, it looks like going to a job where you feel lost or behind, but still showing up and trying to learn. Sometimes, it looks like walking through life alone, questioning your worth, but still getting up and facing the day.

Sometimes, it’s fighting through fear, anxiety, heartbreak, or failure — without a single person clapping for you.

And what makes it even harder is how loud the negativity can be. Sometimes, all you hear is what you’re not doing right, or why you’re not enough.

Maybe you’ve been told you’re “too sensitive,” “too different,” or you simply don’t fit in. The world doesn’t always know how to handle people who feel deeply, who think differently, or who take longer to bloom.

That kind of noise can get into your head — but it doesn’t define who you are.

But that effort? That counts.

Perseverance isn’t always loud. It’s not always a big speech or a sudden breakthrough. More often, it’s quiet. It’s deeply personal.

It’s doing your best in the face of discouragement and still believing — on some level — that there’s purpose in what you’re doing.

There are so many people who are giving it everything they’ve got and still feel like they’re falling short. If that’s you, please hear this: struggling doesn’t mean you’re failing.

It means you’re trying. It means you care. And that kind of courage — the kind it takes to keep going without guarantees — that’s something to be proud of.

It’s okay to rest. It’s okay to admit that things are hard. But don’t let the weight of your struggle convince you that you’re not getting anywhere. Every step forward — no matter how slow — is still a step.

Every time you choose to show up instead of giving up, you’re building something stronger than success: you’re building resilience.

The road may feel long. It may feel lonely. But your effort matters.

Your fight matters.

You matter.

So, keep going. Even if no one sees you. Even if no one understands how hard you’re trying. Walk the road — even if you have to walk it alone — for no one else but you. Because you are worth that fight.

Roberta Cykon is a Youngstown State University graduate and a licensed social worker and gerontologist. If you have any topics or questions you would like Roberta to discuss, email her at rmcykon01@gmail.com.