Life can be a bit of a roller coaster at times, and learning to take the
good with the bad can be quite a skill. Some people can take knock after knock
and still come up smiling, while others take every knock really hard.
A good thing to look at is our
perception of life. If we perceive life to be hard and a
struggle, if often can be. There are many people out there who struggle all the time, but will readily have a smile on their faces and offer a
helping hand even though they are struggling.
Perception is key. How do you perceive life? If we believe that we are
hard done by, then every event that comes along will play to that perception.
If we believe life is good, then often it will seem much better.
We often hear people talking about the power of
positive thinking, but does it really work?
Things will happen
in life to all of us, good and bad. It is how we handle these situations that matters. If we get into the mind set of “here we go
again”, then you have already framed up in your head, that its another problem
to put on the mountain of other problems you already have.
If you can hold a believe that you can manage
anything coming along, then you will feel much better.
The reality is, life deals blows to all of us. If we have unresolved
things going on, and if they are taking up your head space, its a really good
idea to try and sort something out so you have peace in your mind. Otherwise any other issues incoming will mount on
top. Its like not doing the washing, day after day, you pile clothes up to be
washed, if you don’t start sorting the washing out, you will end up with no clothes to wear. Same thing, if you
don’t sort through issues bothering you, then issues will mount up on top of you
until you feel like you have no more resources to cope.
A great idea is to sit down and list the things that are bothering you, and
take action, what do you need to do to resolve these things?
Sometimes we cant resolve things, so learning acceptance is another great skill.
If something is bothering you and someone else around
you has been through similar, ask then for some tips on getting over the issue.
There are many resources in the community that would help you out too. Reading self help books is a great idea, as
just one of the suggestions in the book might resonate with you, and you might learn
something new. Check out workshops in your area and the internet can be a great source of powerful learning.
Years ago, I was a volunteer at Wilson Home for Crippled Children. I was a
teenager myself at the time. My friend who I visited for years became ill
quickly and then died, then a week later, his room mate died and then a couple
of weeks later their other friend died. These kids taught me not to take life to
seriously. These kids could laugh and make light of the world even though they
were living on borrowed time and in wheel chairs. My perception of life
changed all those years ago, and I have never forgotten that
experience. Some times we get caught up in the little stuff
and we allow it to fill our heads and it can leave us feeling negative.
To have gratitude for all you have now, and an
acceptance of those things you simply cannot change, can go a
long way to dropping stress levels.
Kim McNamara
https://www.facebook.com/pg/kimmcnamaralifesuccesscoach
