There will be days when things won’t go as planned. Most of the time, the unexpected will take the form of a wonderful surprise and life will be pure bliss; but other times, it will be tougher: your mood will be down, your self-esteem will be low and your confidence will be weak. That is when being away from your family and close friends is the hardest.
The challenge in trials, is not merely dealing with the difficult circumstance at hand, but rather, managing to keep your mind uplifted when your situation is spiraling down. It’s not enough that you’re fighting the physical reality of a down phase in your life, but you also have to combat fiercely the inclination that we have, to get frustrated, get mad and give up. Be careful of your mind, because it can be your worst enemy.
What matters is not the unpleasant thing that happens to you, but your attitude about it. For the thing itself is not the problem, the spirit behind it is. The physical is the direct result of the spiritual. Everything starts with a thought. That shirt you wear was a thought first. If there is going to be any change to your situation, it’s going to start on the inside before it manifests itself on the outside. If you lose your car, you can still make it; but if you lose your hope you simply can’t move forward. Do you see how powerful your spirit is, over tangible things and situations that may arise? So try not to allow yourself to be down too long. Look at the brighter side of things and learn from the situation. Experience has showed me that the unfortunate events that occur are necessary and unavoidable steps, to improve and grow. And if we don’t learn our lesson the first time around, or if we manage to skip that step by luck, Life will send our way a similar situation over and over again, until we finally learn what we’re supposed to learn and we can move on to the next stage of our lives.
The power of positive thinking.
I’m not going to pretend like it’s easy to focus on the positive when we lack money, lose our job, fail an exam, or whenever we’re faced with obstacles. But one thing I know without the shadow of a doubt, is that everything in life, the good times and especially the bad ones, happen for a reason. And I have found that reason to always be to teach you a valuable lesson that will get you ready, that will equip you with the weapons of knowledge and experience, so that when you get to your final destination, which is doing what you were born to do, you’re prepared to handle the responsibilities that position demands.
If you handle your struggles right, meaning with an open heart and a willingness to learn from it and improve, your greatest strives can produce your biggest strength.
Here is how I manage to stay positive: I have a notebook in which I write every morning when I wake up, 5 things I’m grateful for and before going to bed, 5 things that happened during the day that I am thankful for. It doesn’t have to be big things: for instance, somebody holding the door for you may make your day, somebody being kind to you. Pay attention to the small and positive things that happen in your life and be grateful for them.
I didn’t invent this technique. I tried it because Oprah Winfrey, who is my super hero, talked about it. I thought if Auntie Oprah says it works, then I sure should give it a try.
They say it takes 21 days to form a habit. So I laid down on paper the things I was grateful for everyday and I started noticing how I was changing. I began to focus solely on the good things in my life and was completely blocking any negative thought that arose in my mind. It made me a better, happier person. I did this for a few months to a year straight and it worked wonders. I stopped for a while because I got too busy at one point, but whenever I feel low, I do it all over again and it really works.
Of course, I’ll admit, some days leave me feeling miserable and my attempts to find one ray of sunshine through my rain are vain. So I go out and make sure I do something positive that will turn the whole day around.
Too often, we hold on to the one negative thing that happens and allow it to take control of our mind, our heart and before we know it, the emotional poison spreads through our entire body, leaving us feeling sick to our stomach.
When the negative takes control of you, your life becomes uncontrollable. So focus on the positive.
And whatever you’re going through, don’t let it make you bitter. You’re stronger than you think.
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