That is such a personal topic, its not easy for anyone to give any ideas without really knowing you and what you’ve overcome. You really need to find something that is a symbol of what you have overcome or what your life is now.

That being said, there are a ton of traditional images used for overcoming struggles, one of them being the koi fish as stated earlier. I believe in japanese mythology the koi fish struggles to get upstream, but if it is successful, it changes into a dragon. So some people have both images on one tattoo, or one only. It could be the koi to symbolize the struggle, or the dragon to symbolize the change into something strong and powerful that has overcome adversity. Or get a half-sleeve and has both!

Maybe even a sunrise for new begginings? Just stay away from quotes would be my only advice. Those never seem to work out in the long run.

Try finding a good tattoo artist in your area. Go in and tell them what you are thinking, and they will help you come up with a design. The good artists love doing this stuff, its why they do what they do. You’ll need to give them a small deposit to start the design, but it will go towards the cost of the tattoo.

Good luck, and let us know what you come up with! Post pics!