HOW TO OVERCOME THE WORST OF TIMES
At some point in our life, we had to overcome some form of hardship. At that moment in time we believed it was the worst of times. Yet we are still here to talk about it.
It may be personal
Maybe its stress with your spouse or significant other. While you are in the middle of it, in the heat of the moment, you don’t understand why it’s happening, or to the extent that it is.
Maybe it’s from being complacent for way too long and you begin to feel a need for change. At the end of the day we are human. We change, we evolve, we grow. We can get comfortable in our environment, but sometimes we get too comfortable and the desire for change takes over. Most times it is a good thing. But many times, if not recognized it can be a very bad thing.
It may be financial
Maybe you are not making as much as you want. It can be from unforeseen circumstances or a global pandemic. Once again, when you are in the middle of it, what do you do? Especially when you are burnt out and you don’t know how much harder you can work.
As humans we not only struggle with the financial issues, but we also struggle with our emotions. Not having the amount of money you want without fear of failure, simply sucks. We allow our financial frustrations affect ourselves and the personal relationships around us. This brings with it more problems and suffering, and pretty soon, we are left with only two options.
Change
We can change our circumstances in order to get out of our unwanted situation. It can be difficult to do this, especially when nothing but negativity surrounds us. With all that is going on in the world today it may feel as if this is impossible. Once again, you have a choice. You can follow the negative people that are sitting around saying “There is nothing that can be done”. “We need to sit and wait and see what’s next”. Or my personal favorite, “The world as we know it is over, this is the new normal”.
Or you can think. Think of ways that you can make things happen. Deal with the circumstances in front of you and find a way to get to the desired end result. There is always a way.
Once we decide willingly to change our circumstances, we can. It’s just a matter of knowing how.
Be forced into change
It is a fundamental human need to be constantly growing, evolving, and changing. If we are stagnant and stick to a routine for too long, we get a feeling of boredom, a desire for change, or despair that comes from being in a stalled state of progression. That is our inner being telling us we need to change something.
By learning this basic process, we can quickly learn to understand how to endure and overcome the very worst of life’s hardships. Knowing that there is a specific reason you are in a hardship will help you focus on how to get through it in a positive way instead of a negative one.
What’s the process??? No one process will work for everyone, just as there is there is no quick-fix solution for the various hardships that come into your life. There are, however, certain ways you can choose to perceive the realities we are confronted with.
Perception
Perception is in the eye of the beholder, so if I am perceiving my life in a negative way, I’m more than likely going to be dealing with all of the emotions and thoughts that come from that perception. In other words, thinking negative thoughts, in any situation, is going to bring out negative emotions. This will result in a tailspin, and you will find it very difficult to get past emotions such as anger, sadness, frustration and even low self-esteem, which go along with negative perceptions.
This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t want to feel those negative emotions. They are a valuable part of progressing and moving forward in our life. The negative emotions are there so we can overcome them. You overcome these emotions by sitting down calmly and simply writing down the desired result. Make sure the desired result is what you want. Now, list all of the hurdles you perceive that are standing in your way of the desired result. One by one, come up with a solution for each of the small hurdles, rather than tackling the entire issue as a whole.
Enduring
When hit with any kind of hardship, it’s difficult to know which types of emotions will surface. Of course, we will be experiencing suffering, so the bad emotions that follow are going to be entering our world. One of the worst things you can do, is trying to hide or not acknowledge your feelings.
Accept
It is very important to accept what is, both in terms of the external reality and our internal reality, with thoughts, emotions, etc.
Feel
Allow our self to feel, and also allow our self to listen to what comes through while we are allowing your emotions to go through their natural process.
Listen
When was the last time you truly sat down with no distractions? No technologies, cell phone, Facebook, e-mail, television, etc. and listened. Take a moment each day to look inside yourself and hear what your higher consciousness has to say. Don’t think, don’t wonder, just listen.
Overcoming
After you’ve taken the time to sit back, reflect, and gain clarity on your current circumstances, it’s time to start moving forward. How can you expect to overcome a challenging situation in your life if you don’t move? It does require a little inspirational push, but if you want to get over a hardship, you need to let it in. Here are some ways to overcome any difficult situation when you just can’t escape your own thoughts and feelings.
Find inspiration in your life
Inspiration brings hope and desire, which also bring positivity. These are all good things and can offer you the tools you need to move forward, away from the depths of despair that haunt you when experiencing hardship. Reflect back on your “Why”.
Strategy
Once you have a positive attitude and desire inside, it’s the perfect time to come up with an exit plan from your current situation. When you see the vision of where you want to be, you can start to fill in the details with a direction to start moving in. The key here is to make the decision to consciously move forward and have a solid action plan to follow. There is no need to wait until you have all the “what ifs” answered.
Take Action
This is single most important part of the strategy. But it’s easier said than done .
Many factors can come into play here, but beyond the obvious. That you may be stressed, tired, moody, and depressed. There is another reason, a deeper reason that holds most people back.
Almost everyone should be able to picture some form of positive outcome in their minds, but when it comes to taking action and making an actual change, very few of us follow through. We just end up enduring until our emotions settle down and we continue on the same path, which led to our current circumstances in the first place. This is what I call the ostrich in the sand effect. Remember, the very crisis you are dealing with may or may not have happened before. But I can assure you, worst things have happened to us as a society in the past, and we overcame them. We are the stronger for it and we learned from each and every experience.
If you really want to overcome it, not just endure, you need to start changing your status quo. Identify what in life you can change now. Think outside the box and come up with a solution no matter how dumb it sounds to others around you. Surround yourself with people who care about you, want the best for you, and believe in you. The most important factor is to remember that you’re not alone. Sometimes, it may seem easier to just cope and put on a happy face, but it’s not. Finding a solution to the issue in front of you and taking action, even if it is wrong at first, will stimulate your mind to ultimately come up with a solution to get you unstuck.
The true change happens, when you fully embrace the relationships and the people around you. And most importantly do it now… Procrastinate tomorrow
