When Life Gets Tough, Remain Resilient
Sure we have all heard the proverbial phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” at least once or twice. What that really means is that no matter what life throws at you, no matter the challenges we face, we must make the best of each and every situation. One of the toughest lessons I have learned so far this year is about resilience.
I am a very positive person who spends little time dwelling on the negative but in that moment I found myself dwelling on the negative. The first quarter of the year came along with one bad news followed by another: deals falling apart, deadlines not being met, commitments not honored by third parties and of course searching for a place to live turned out to be a complete nightmare as I was almost scammed out of a year’s rental fee. All of these, while juggling a massive workload in order to meet clients’ expectations.
The earlier part of 2017 served a lot of heavy blows. To be frank, I almost gave up because it seemed like the best thing to do. I had not found myself this broken, ever! I was hurt, felt betrayed, heartbroken, and useless to say the least. I didn't see a point in carrying on. I was starting to lose faith in everything.
Like a turtle, I retreated to my shell because it was the only way I knew how to cope during tough times. But also like a turtle, I knew that alone time was temporary and eventually I would need to come out of my shell to inhale the fresh air and smell the beautiful roses.
What got me through this tough period?
I thought about how far I had come and all of the people in my corner rooting for me, for us. My team, my family, my friends, and myself. I decided it was time to perhaps strengthen my faith along with my mental and physical state. I started working out profusely, praying consistently, having faith and believing that this was yet another test, another obstacle and another opportunity to be strengthened and equipped for the next chapter of the journey.
I decided to fight back and fight hard with resilience and determination. After all, when life serves you lemons, you make lemonade. Another tactic I used, was to post sticky notes in my bedroom and bathroom with a reminder to stay focused, disciplined and not get distracted. Besides, obstacles are a mere distraction to deter us from our goals. So far, these methods have all turned out to be quite effective.
It is important to remember that no matter what you go through you will come out of it a winner, as long as, you are resilient and do not give up. Keep this in the back of your mind as you go about your day in pursuit of your dreams, at the end of every storm comes the delightful sun, sometimes even a rainbow. Be resilient and never give up!
You are stronger than you know.
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