Last night my office roof collapsed and my office and bedroom were flooded. This was just another event in a long, long string of events. Just a week ago it was my car that broke down. Before that it was the accident that I had while being towed, and then the car being broken into. And before that … well I won’t bore you with the details.
It seems that every day there is some issue or crisis that has to be dealt with. A few people suggested that I do some ‘cleansing’ of my thoughts, or my house etc. to get rid of the bad juju.
I thought about it this morning. I am the most positive, upbeat person I know. Every time something like this happens I see the funny side of things, once I have dealt with the issue.
I am not cursed and I am certainly not a negative person who is manifesting all these challenges.
Things happen for a reason. The roof collapsed because it was badly built. The car crashed because I was being towed at an unreasonable speed and the brakes failed. They broke into the car and stole the battery because the car was parked on the side of the highway unattended.
Yes, it does seem sometimes that it will never end. And you are right. It will never end. There is always something going on in our lives. It’s called life.
Sh*t happens all the time. But so do the good things. All the time. Life is a challenge and it makes us grow stronger. We become better people when we overcome challenges and adversity. It’s like exercising. The more you use the muscle, the stronger it becomes.
Someone asked me how I deal with all this. I have got so good at it that I now have a formula and it works for me.
1) I stop and breathe. It is never as bad as it looks and there is always a solution.
2) I make a list of everything that needs to happen in order to get the problem resolved.
3) Then I start at the top of the list and do ONE thing at a time. Once it is done it gets ticked off and I move onto the next item.
4) Eventually all the items have been ticked and you know that the solution is already underway.
5) Now I look for the lesson. What could I have done differently? Was it my fault through a decision that I did or did not make? Was it just life?
6) Then I grab a cup of coffee, take a deep breath and smile because I am still here, my kids are healthy and happy and I have a great life.
I have faced so many challenges and every time I come out laughing. Because life is tough. It is also freaking funny, if you allow yourself to see that.
So here’s to lots of laughter-generating challenges for you.
Di
Diana Heuser specialises in e-Business and Publishing Resources for Authors. Connect with Diana Heuser on her business website, via Twitter @DianaHeuser or on Google+. She has recently started a new group called Secrets To Publishing A Book that you will find interesting.
