Sunday, March 24, 2013

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?

6 comments:

  1. wow.... thats all i can say

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  2. Thank you for your instructive piece. This is really good.

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  3. Saw this article via Twitter. Pls can i have your contact? Need plenty of articles like this. I like your writing

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  4. thanks for sharing this with me

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  5. I need to be grounded. am gonna use this to its fullest. thanks sir

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  6. thanks for your words of wisdom sir

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