"Everyone faces defeat. It may be a stepping-stone or a stumbling block, depending on the mental attitude with which it is faced." - Napoleon Hill
Managing life challenges is one of the realizations of being an adult. It is a simple fact of being alive we have to accept and embrace. If we understand this, we will not despair so much when we encounter life challenges. We will live life with the fact that those moments will come and welcome them.
Difficult times happen to all of us. It can be a wrong turn of events, failures or losses. Sometimes it can be the realization of a certain dream or hope. And then our world dulls. It is not as bad as we think it is. "Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune or temporary defeat," said Napoleon Hill.
Realizing the fact that we are blessed with so much innate intelligence and capabilities to figure out life puzzles should spur us to face adversity at the different intermissions of our lives. If only we can trust and remind ourselves of these facts when the times turn bad for us. All we have to do is have our hearts and minds, trained and re-trained. We can overcome whatever life throws at us at any level. Harvard psychologist Williams James said, "The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his or her life by altering his/her attitudes of mind."
Our minds are the garden we must keep unfettered with clutters. We must tend it and see that is groomed to be strong, safe and flexible to adapt to the highs and lows of life. Just as we keep great gardens and admire it, so must we care for our minds and hearts.
A line that has always stood out to me is: "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
It is all a state of mind and heart, just as the day turns to night and back to another day so can that state of mind be changed. No matter the storm or how long the night, the SUN ALWAYS SHINES. We can see failure or setback as a learning curve; an experience or feedback system for a reinvention of ourselves
Trials help us to fashion better models of ourselves. We can take a cue from everyday life examples. Tech companies keep rolling out these versions of devices that are way better than their original or first inventions. Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 has evolved from its earliest first edition.
Over the years, we have seen the various modifications done to the series. They take in feedback, positive and negative, then make more superb versions of the models. Why then can't we use our reflections of our circumstances to re-shape our lives? To come out back on top and even stronger?
Let's no longer allow trying times overcome us; rather we must have some courage and know that being at the bottom, there is only one way to go and that is up. "Every adversity, every failure, every heartbreak, carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit." - Napoleon Hill
Another trick is to lose focus on yourself temporarily. Care for others; it helps us put things in a better perspective. We can have a grip on our lives while helping others and comprehend that there is indeed "nothing new under the sun." Someone has passed through that and probably by reaching out, we can get helped too. Then we realize the bigger picture of life and that caring about others heals us more than we can ever understand.
