"The grass is always greener....on the other side" is an all familiar phrase. The real question is - is it really better?

Everyone everywhere faces challenges - whether it be emotional, physical, financial, social, ethical, spiritual, or something unknown - it does not matter - it remains a challenge.

How we handle these challenges and our attitude to change what we do not like about ourselves or our situation is critical in improving the outcome.

Most people would agree that life is hard - these challenges make us grow and build character. Finding passion and purpose in life is so important because this is what keeps us going.

Everyone has a purpose in the world - if you have not found it yet - keep searching.  It will come.

A stereotypical healthy lifestyle usually describes one who has a balanced diet and engages in regular exercise. That is pretty good. You have 2 or the 3 components that make up a healthy lifestyle. The 3rd component is mental health - a good frame of mind. We are capable of thinking positive and making good of any situation.

If we are poor, we think how great it would be to be rich…
If we are lonely, we often think how great it would be in someone's company..
If we are without work, we think how great it would be to have a job...
If we are sick, we think how great it would be to be healthy...
The list could go on and on.

Most people don't say they want to be poor, lonely, without work, or sick. It goes without saying that this is not desirable.

What is important to remember is you are in the driver's seat - meaning you are in charge of your life. Your family, friends, and environment may influence you, but ultimately you have the final say on how you will live your adult life.

Now that we have established that everyone has a purpose in life, we are going to shift our discussion to talk about suicide. For some this may be an extreme to transition from talking about a purposeful life to talking about suicide. Nonetheless, it is a tough subject that needs to be addressed.

Before we discuss this topic further, if you are a danger to yourself or someone else, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, 911, or go to your ER.

Your life is as important as anyone else. Don't forget that.

There is a motive behind everything. You ask why did so and so commit suicide? There have been many celebrity suicides in recent news - Robin Williams (comedian, actor), Chris Cornell (singer, songwriter), Kate Spade (fashion designer), Anthony Bourdain (celebrity chef), and Margot Kidder (superman actress) to name some of them.

Successful suicide is not limited to people in the limelight. The young and the old have committed suicide and you may never have known them or heard about it. Here are some examples - a high school student who killed herself because of a relationship issue, the friend who killed himself because he did not want to be burden on his family, the elderly man who ended his life because he was lonely, and US veterans suffering depression, anxiety, or PTSD. These are common and could potentially have been avoided with the appropriate help.

Let's not forget the people who have had much success in life and appear happy on the outside. These individuals could be depressed and anxious all the time and you may never know it. Everyone knows not to judge a book by its cover. The same applies here. Do not assume when everything appears to be going well in someone's life that that person is ok. It is human nature to think that only when things are bad or not going the way we want that we could fall into a depression and be at higher risk for suicide.

Counseling suicidal patients through their immediate crises can save their lives. Time heals people and bad cycles end.  By helping these people early on, we may even change their minds about suicide and ultimately give them a second chance at life.

To sums things up, suicidal ideation is not always recognizable. Help is always available if you are having thoughts of suicide. The future is bright ahead, so do not end it now. To learn more about suicide prevention, https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ Call 1-800-273-8255 if you or someone you know needs help. Remember one thing - YOU are worth it!