4 Steps to Weather Your Storms to Personal Greatness - by Frank F. Lunn
"The difficulties, hardships, and trials of life, the obstacles one encounters on the road to fortune, are positive blessings. They knit the muscles more firmly, and teach self - reliance. Peril is the element in which power is developed."
- William Mathews (1818 - 1909) American author
You are going along with your day to day business and everything seems to be fine, but then there's that moment - that moment that seems to stop time when a storm blows in ripping into your life and you instantly begin the struggle to catch your balance against its forceful wind. For me, it was the news that my son Frankie had Leukemia.
There are things in life that you cannot control or change. Sometimes you just cannot be happy. Still, you have the option to maintain an optimistic view. The opportunity brought by difficult times and adversity is the best character example of our faith in ourselves. Your adversities only make you stronger. It is like carrying a weight around and adapting to the weight. Once that weight is lifted you are stronger for the struggle. Thomas Payne said, "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."
Neither you nor I can control the weather, it is what it is. The same weather will make some people joyous and others miserable. Rain is great when the farmers need it for the crops and devastating when the river peaks the levies. Weather is neither good nor bad.
Life often reflects nature as good weather is broken up by periodic storms of varying intensities and make- ups. It is up to you to decide how you weather your personal storms. Will they leave you stronger and more resolute or weakened and cowering until the next one?
Adversity is a teacher instructing you to reveal your character and true nature. If you do not like what is revealed, the good news is that you can change it. You can change your character and you can grow into the person you wish to become if you take full advantage of the adversity that will come into your life.
"Without bad days, how would you know what a good day looked like?" Without the darkness there would be no dawn and without storms there would be diminished value in the good weather. Maintain positive perspective.
A healthy sense of optimism and a cheerful disposition has tremendously more potential to help you reach a solution than an unhelpful and negative one. Assess your situation honestly. See your adversity as a gift. Ask yourself what you can learn. Look for the seed of greater or equivalent benefit.
Determine what action is necessary to change to favorable outcome or to make the best of the situation. As you discover this with the perspective of time, you will discover your blessings. Try using these four steps to get back on track, and remember, the sun will shine again!
1. Research How Others Overcame This Obstacle
This is a straight forward approach. If you come across an obstacle, see how others overcame it. The odds are, someone has already been in your type of situation and found a way out. Now all you need to do is repeat it.
2. Using Gratitude To Overcome Obstacles
Gratitude opens the heart and allows a healing to come in. Often simply listing your blessings from the smallest one to the largest one really helps. Include things such as being alive, breathing, and being able to use your senses.
3. Try Something Different
If what you have been doing isn't working, try a new approach. Often looking at a problem differently - or approaching it in another way will solve the issue.
4. Affirmations
Sometimes simply repeating your goal over and over will bring clarity. Try writing down your goal 10x's a day. This will help to; put your goal into perspective, focus on the task at hand, and organize your strategy for reaching your goal.
5. Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway
This time of uncertainty in your life is scary, so let yourself feel the fear. It is not weak, but brave to admit your fears. Then focus on your goal and do what you need to do in spite of your fear. Often this will get you through the process of doing something you are scared of that you know is necessary.
"Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves."
-- William Davenant
Frank F. Lunn is an expert in leadership, marketing and small business entrepreneurship. Frank is the author of Stack the Logs! - Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams and "Carpe Aqualis!" Seize the Wave - 7 Essential Surfing Skills to Revolutionize Your Business and Personal Life. Please visit KahunaPower.com to find additional motivating articles and success building tips by Frank.
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