Beating The Odds

Are there people you strongly admire because they seem to uncannily push through turmoil even when their situation seems unbearable?

Such people are encouraging because they often have a strength that many view as heroic. Their seemingly preparedness for staying strong in the face of all types of adversity, inspires others to want to be able to handle things in a similar manner.

BUT … even with all the planning that we’re capable of, we may not always be ready for when life hits us in the face with obstacles.

Troubles can occur unexpectedly and many times, they can seem impossible to get through. When we’re faced with challenges it’s usually because we’re actively participating in life and not just watching from the sidelines.

There are three main areas that can affect us in our pursuit of a better life. Sometimes they strike even when we’re already burdened and feel unable to take anymore.  We will discuss how we can stay the course when presented with these three main areas that usually affect people at some point.

Health

Most people don’t celebrate their life until their birthday rolls around. Ironically, it’s also a celebration where they may indulge in rituals that shave time off of their life.

Our vitality is of utmost importance.  Some basic ways to protect ourselves is to maintain a healthy state of mind and body through stress reduction, rest, exercise and nutrition.

Yet even the most careful consideration of our health cannot prevent tragedy from striking at any time.  A car accident, a genetic tumor, depression or even an autoimmune diseases can come about without expectation.

It is human tendency to pity ourselves when we’re not feeling our best due to health. We often forget about life’s other priorities as we focus instead on our illness. While we do need the proper care to recover and cope with health challenges, it’s important to not allow our minds to fool us into believing that we are at the mercy of your sickness.

When enduring physical or mental challenges, try to keep inspiring images in front of you.  Images of you in good health, in a more productive and lively time, both from past experiences and imaginations of the future. Even if you are diagnosed with a serious debilitating sickness, let it be your aim to keep fulfillment and purpose in your life.

Never give up! Take care of yourself and remember: there is only one you in a world of billions and you are necessary.

Think Great, Feel Great and Do Great

When you’re on a productive run, you certainly need to care for yourself to be as energetic as you can be. Maintaining soundness of mind and bodily strength will be critical towards achieving your objectives. Here are a few things to consider when you are going through your day.

For Mental Health: Do you allow poisonous and toxic thoughts to conflict with your sense of well-being? Are there things that happened to you years ago that you should stop dwelling on in order to finally feel at peace?

LET IT GO!  IF IT’S NOT HELPING YOU, IT’S HARMING YOU.

For Physical Health: What are some things you can do on a regular and consistent basis to look and feel better? Sometimes you don’t need to start with a military workout, but rather, walking a mile or two to clear your head and doing some stretching may be very good for maintenance and provide the adequate boost to starting your day right strong or ending your night well easily.

Relationships

“I couldn’t believe that after six years of marriage and two wonderful children, my wife threatened to leave me if I quit my job and started pursuing photography as a freelancer. She told me that if I was going to walk away from a dependable income, to snap photos of trees, then I could ‘picture’ her with another man.” Anonymous man, age 31

Many people in our life can bring us satisfaction and joy and contribute to our happiness. Yet these same people have the power to seemingly craft our doom.

Your spouse or partner may not appreciate the great deal of time that you devote to pursuing your passions. Perhaps that’s because you no longer provide them with the same level of attention that they have become used to, or, they may simply doubt that your pursuits will be financially successful.

In addition, our closest friends may become our biggest negative critics and try to discourage us from accelerating our lives and may try to persuade us to take a more conservative approach to life.

Whether we realize it or not, many times those who view us as peers are in many ways in competition with us.  When they sense that we might “leave them” behind with our ambition, they may try to discourage us from doing anything that may change the nature of the relationship that we have built with them.

A common example might come in the form of ridicule: “You’re so hard-working now you don’t know how to have fun anymore.”  A friend may reference that perhaps, you don’t have the same time to fill your entire weekend with entertainment and pleasure-seeking that you once did and now you are so structured with the use of your time.

When it comes to associations that have been built over years, it may be difficult to decide whether you need to eliminate or restrict time with certain individuals, but it may be a choice that you will have to make at some point, after evaluating the nature of the relationship and the future that you see it having.

In relationships concerning those to whom you have an immediate responsibility, you may need to determine the best way to handle resistance and opposition with open lines of communication.

Experiencing disapproval from your immediate family or partner can call for diplomacy. Often by talking to your loved ones about your need to make certain investments in time and materials for your own and perhaps even their personal benefit, may alleviate much of the stress between you and them.  Also, being reassuring as to their worth and importance in your world is something that needs to be expressed and shown.

Money

Money isn’t the most important thing but its right up there with oxygen.” – Zig Ziglar

For nearly everyone, money is a necessary resource to access everything from clean water to clothing, but even the most frugal and non-materialistic of us can feel the sting of a money crisis at different times.

It’s painful when our finances take a hit. The reasons could be due to: poor budgeting, unfortunate investments or the literal loss of money, to name a few.  What makes money so different from health and relationships issues is that money can be replaced.  That statement may seem implausible in a tough economy — when your past due for rent and a stack of bills are piled on the kitchen table.

Unlike many other challenges though, working through a money struggle can actually be a rewarding opportunity to help you learn about your spending habits.  If you routinely spend more than you make, or if you pay little attention to saving money, this will likely generate an uncomfortable lesson in financial management. But that lesson can be the wake-up call to get your finances in order and become an excellent steward of your money!

Persistence Prevails

As I said before, when you declare your intention to move into a higher life phase, you will face some challenges. But through perseverance, after a short time, the tribulation will be easier to cope with and combat.

Challenges are a part of our journey. There can be no positive in life without negative, much like with a battery — they both need each other to exist. So welcome all experiences, because you never know which one will push you to becoming more powerful then you ever could have imagined.

Action Plan

One great way to beat challenges is to stay plugged into mind-nourishing and soul-enriching associations of all sorts. Attend empowering events with others who share similar interests. Engage in uplifting conversations and experiences.  The negative voices in your head can sabotage your success if you don’t kick them out and invite new voices.

Challenges are your allies in disguise, meant to build you and then eventually serve you. Let them serve you well.

Copyright © 2018 Waymon Brown

 

 

 

 

Written By: Waymon Brown. Creator of theesquireproject.com. Email info@theesquireproject.com