HOW TO BE GROUNDED IN A STORM – AND HOW TO SURVIVE THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE

HOW TO BE GROUNDED IN A STORM – AND HOW TO SURVIVE THE VICISSITUDES OF LIFE

We would all like life to be plain sailing. We would to be able to predict life – and expect happy times all through. However, even though experiences differ, there’s bound to be some downtime. And how you comport yourself during this interregnum – how you execute the bounce back, and how fast you achieve it, define what you can achieve in life.

In other words, it is crucial to know how to handle yourself during bad times. It was Robert Schuller that said “Tough times never last, but tough people do”. History abounds with examples of tough people who pulled through tough times by refusing to give up, who by sheer determination and perseverance changed their situations.

So you’ve got to know what to do when you are going through tough times. The most important thing you can do is to be grounded. This refers to your having a baseline of sorts, a focal point where you have stored up things that keep you going, things that help your inner resolve despite whatever is going on around you. I refer to things that keep you motivated, that keep you going on. So here are some suggestions on how to stay grounded in a storm:

KEEP YOUR GOALS IN YOUR FACE

Keep your goals in perspective. You must plan beyond this present situation. This is assuming you are someone who sets goals often. So where do you want to be in 3 months, in 6 months, in a year, in 5 years? How are you planning to go beyond this turbulent time? What are you reaching out for? You need to keep looking at and reviewing your goals and aspirations. It is important to keep them written them and near you at all times – by your bedside, on your phones and ipad, everywhere you can reach them in a jiffy. This will keep you grounded, so you won’t stray far from your course in life.

ARTICULATE REASONS TO SUCCEED

You need to articulate reasons to succeed. Les Brown, a renowned motivational speaker tells us in his book ‘Live Your Dreams” that his initial motivation for excelling in life, was his dream of buying his mother a home. It was a magnificent obsession for him. It kept him going despite the many doors slammed in his face. He kept looking for the ‘yes’ behind every ‘no’ he received. Yours may be to give your children a sound education; yours may be to make all the money you can and give it all away to charity. Whatever reason you can find and decide upon to motivate you to succeed, you need to hold on to it. Cling to it. Articulate it. And keep it real and active to you.

MOTIVATIONAL RESOURCES

It’s important to read books. A wiseacre once said  - "The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read." And it is so true. There’s nothing you are going through that others have not already gone through and overcome. So find books and materials – motivational speeches, books, articles, this blog (ha ha) –that will help you. Find out how others were able to succeed where you are stuck. When you pick up a book by some expert, you gain his perspective and his experience. For example, an important manual for life – in my view – is the book “Think and grow rich “ by Norman Vincent Peale. It is not just a book about riches – it’s an important book to read, study and master for everyone who is serious about whole-life success. Dr Peale did a research on over 500 millionaires of his time to find out the common denominator in their lives of success. Can you imagine? When you read such a book, you glean wisdom from 500 men, and 25 years research done by Dr Vincent Peale. So do not underestimate the impact carefully selected motivational resources can have on your life.

SITTING DOWN FOR IDEAS

I remember reading somewhere, one philosopher wrote – you do not have a money problem; what you have is an idea problem. There isn’t any problem therefore, that sitting down for ideas won’t solve. Find some quite place, get writing materials and think through your issues. You may need to do so for hours, or even days before you hit the right chord – depending on how fast you can calm your mind. But one thing I am sure of – if you can get calm on the inside, it will eventually get calm all around you, in life. So sit down for ideas – listen to the inner you. The Creator is talking to you – He is always on. You may the one turned off. Keep quiet. Get calm. Listen in for divine ideas. You may need to refer to my article – ideas rule the world for more on this.

TAKE ACTION CONTINUALLY

 This naturally follows from sitting down for ideas. You may need to take some drastic action to get out of the rut. But be certain they are well thought out, and that you have looked at all sides. Be certain that the universe loves motion. You must constantly be taking requisite action to better yourself, to better your situation. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck. Refuse to be the under-dog for long. Start doing something today. And keep doing it.

These are just a few of the things that can help you navigate the sometimes treacherous waters of life. This list is by no means exhaustive. I am sure you can come up with a few more ideas, honed in to your situation that will help you further. By every means explore your options. Keep going. Keep moving. And nothing will stop you

Let me end with my favorite maxim – How can you stop a man who won’t be defeated?

IDEAS DO RULE THE WORLD

I have had the privilege of reading Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” at least 16 times. I have had my personal copies missing 5 times at least. But each time I have purchased a new copy without delay. The book has become a manual for life of sorts, for me.

Do not be deceived by the title. The book isn’t so much about making money, as it is about being a success in life. I do not in this write up intend to review the book, however. I want to speak about ideas. The book does speak about ideas, as do other great philosophers like Aristotle, Socrates and the like.

Ideas do rule the world. I subscribe to that. Ideas are so very important. Every human improvement, every great invention, every commendable feat achieved by man, started as an idea in the mind of some person.

Ideas are borne on the wings of thoughts that come to us. Psychologists tell us that we think about 50,000 thoughts per day, i.e. the average human being thinks all those thoughts daily. Hidden in that multitude of thoughts is an idea or ideas that can drastically improve our lives , and that of others. And this process occurs daily.

In 1876, Alexander Bell registered his patent for the telephone, in the United States. The process began as an idea for men to communicate without being in the same room.  Men also had for long thought about growing wings and flying. This idea had largely been confined to the metaphysical realm, with old women dressed in black and funny long hats flying by means of long brooms (now you know what I’m talking about). But it became a physical reality when the Wright brothers invented and built the world’s first successful airplanes in 1903. Napoleon Hill’s book speaks about Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and other great thinkers ‘sitting for ideas’ By this means Edison created many inventions and patents, including amongst others the phonograph, the motion picture camera, the incandescent bulb, etc.

Suffice it to say therefore that you do not have problems; you do not have financial problems. You do not have health problems. Neither do you have marriage problems. What you have is an idea problem. So the earlier you settle down, shut the world out, and think out your problem, the better for you. It may take you hours, maybe even days, to reach the threshold. But one thing is certain: it does work. My authority? The great thinkers of the 20^th and 21s century agree with me. Talk about Edison, Einstein, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, just to mention a few.

So think your way through today. See you at the top. And I daresay I am nearer there than you are *wink*