When life throws you a curveball
Ever been in a conversation where you heard or said the following?
Perplexed, confused, uncertain are words running through my head…
I really don’t know what to do…
It seems like I have hit a wall and there’s nowhere to go…
Sounds familiar, right? The situations may have varied, but our immediate response was the same. Why me, why now, what next were some questions that continually resonated in the head.
You make decisions every moment of the day – some matter while others are insignificant. You plan things ahead of time. You have a perfect picture of how life should be. Doesn’t necessarily mean things will work out the way you want! After all, as Abraham Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.” Life is full of the unexpected and as humans we have a strong defense mechanism we inherited from our ancestors to deal with this – Adaptation: the ability to adjust to changing circumstances.
Oftentimes we face situations that hinder our progress towards the end goal. Difficulties arise leading to enormous re-routing, timeline changes and if all this wasn’t enough, we even ecounter additional setbacks that change the ultimate goal. All these changes end up making individuals both vulnerable and defenseless. However, this period makes us who we are. Such incidents mark the beginning of self discovery and the time to redefine ourselves. The hour calls for a famous drill; scramble our strength, fight back and take control of our life. Michael Hyatt, the former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers enlightens us about the 5 Characteristics of a Strong Mind. He emphasizes the importance of a strong mind in recovering through turbulent times and pens down confidence, courage, commitment, control and purpose to be the secret ingredients of a hero. Surprisingly, we all possess these qualities so it totally makes sense to unlearn the damsel in distress mode of our personality and rescue ourselves by being own our hero.
People vary in the methods they use to deal with unforeseen circumstances. Linda Durnell, the author of Life’s Crossroads: How To Thrive in Times of Change in Huffington Post provides us a insight on how to deal with life’s crossroads. The author suggests that we trust our inner feelings for guidance, never settle for less or resist the change that happens. She believes that our reaction to a change is a deliberate choice we make.
Malcolm Gladwell in his book the Tipping Point explains how little things can make a big difference so I believe it is time for me to share my personal words of wisdom.1) Breathe and power up your body with those extra molecules of oxygen. It helps your body relax and reduces stress. 2) Before you start tackling the situation head on just understand that you have survived changes prior to this and if you did it then, you can do it now. Have faith in yourself! 3) Look into the alternatives and note them down. There are always options and the final decision is all yours. 4) Do a pro-con analysis of your options. 5) Ask advice from your mentors, family and friends. They may have experience and can come up with solutions you cannot comprehend. 6) Understand the impact of decision and embrace the consequence. You are a strong individual and you have power over the situation. 7) Choose the best possible alternative that fits the situation. You are not a victim of the torment. You have an invisible cape and you are bound to fly. 8 ) Have faith and optimism that everything will work out to its best. 9) Take your lesson and never look back. 10) Lastly, remember you conquered your fear so be proud. You deserve a pat on the back, go for it right now!
“It’s a hard life… but if I could, I would do it all again”. Natalia Makarova
Areej Shah is the Marketing Coordinator at Grade Learning. She shares her passion for communication and writing through informative social media posts and blogs. She is a strong advocate of freedom of expression and often likes to inspire people through words such that they make small differences to the ever-evolving social setup.
