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How Do You Handle Adverse Situations

How do you handle adverse situations? Let’s face it, every day is not sunshine and rainbows. I don’t care how connected or powerful you are; difficult times happen. How do you react to these trying times? Your reaction is important to your personal development.

Are you the type of person that complains about the current state in which you find yourself? I hope not. Complaining is nonacceptance of what is going on in your life. Complaining has never provided a solution to any situation. In fact, when you complain, you make yourself into a victim.

Handling Adverse Situations

Instead of complaining, accept the situation as it is, and look for anything positive that can come out of it. If possible, find ways to change the situation. I have recently read some blog posts from someone who faced a difficult circumstance and accepted it.

My friend Hamish, from hardlinesheavytimes.wordpress.com, found himself dealing with adversity a few days ago. Hamish is a wonderful and talented young man from New Zealand who traveled to the States to compete in a World Ultimate Frisbee Competition.

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https://unsplash.com/@johnkofi28

COVID-19

I am sure he put in many hours of training and sacrifice with his teammates to come and compete. Shortly after arriving and only three days before the tournament, he tested positive for COVID-19 and had to be quarantined. It had to be devastating to watch his teammates travel on without him. It is one of the worst things that can happen to an athlete.

Despite his disappointment, he has handled the situation admirably. He wrote in his blog about accepting this adversity. In his words, “It sucks. But is not insurmountable.” In addition, he changed his goal from playing in the tournament to being there for his teammates.

He has chosen to create memories rather than focus on his disappointment.

Accept It

How do you handle adverse situations? Be like Hamish and accept it. Acceptance is surrender, and there is great strength in it. By surrendering to the situation you become free internally.

Sunshine and rainbows are always out there, even in the worst thunderstorm. If you look hard enough, you will find them.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@sonctw

https://unsplash.com/@johnkofi28

The Joys Of Driving

Ah, the joys of driving in South Florida. I believe I might have mentioned this topic in some previous posts. It is always an adventure; you never know what will happen. Will there be an overturned fuel truck that blocks both lanes of I-95 for hours? Possibly. Is somebody going to shoot at me for an unknown reason? Unlikely. How many times will I get flipped off? It’s definitely going to happen. How many times? Your guess is as good as mine.

In today’s post, I just want to implore my fellow drivers to stop the hypocrisy. Be the person you are.

A Little Tale About The Joys Of Driving

The perfect example happened to me the other day. I was driving home from the driving range after hitting a few balls. It is a short trip up the Florida Turnpike, with only two exits. At one point, I was passed by someone who was clearly not having a great day. I had to smile as he passed by with his arm up giving me the finger.

It is not clear what this person didn’t like about me or possibly my vehicle. I’m not a “bumper sticker guy” with political bumper stickers on my car. In fact, the only things on my windows are college insignias.

This Is Driving Me Crazy

As I said previously, I am never bothered by other people’s antics, especially when driving. It is just part of the joys of driving in South Florida. What did rile me up, just a bit, about this particular person, was his window sticker. It read: “Be Kind.”

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https://unsplash.com/@gwendal

I have had it up to here (tapping myself on the top of the head) with the hypocrites of the world. We don’t need anymore, we have more than enough of them in Washington DC. So here goes the instructional portion of this post.

If you are an A-hole, then be an A-hole. Embrace your A-holeness completely. Don’t half-ass it, be the best A-hole you can be. Strive to be the number 1 A-hole on the planet.

Don’t Be The Great Pretender

Stop pretending that you are a kind person who drives around with a “Be Kind” window sticker on your car. Who are you to tell others to “Be Kind.” You are an A-hole, but not even a good A-hole. You try to hide behind your sticker and hope those that don’t know you think you are kind.

If you are a kind person and be kind 24/7, not part of the time. It is a full-time job. Being an A-hole should also be a full-time job unless you are a hypocrite. Learn your identity and choose one or the other.

For all of the kind people out there, please remember, that even the full-time A-holes deserve love and it is all part of learning to love unconditionally. Here in South Florida, it is just another day of experiencing the joys of driving.

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@adamnem

https://unsplash.com/@gwendal

The Perfect Quote

Today, I want to share a God wink I received the other day. It came in the form of an email called Inspiring Quotes. Now, I receive hundreds of emails daily and do not read 99.9% of them. I hit edit, select all, and click trash. The procedure gets repeated several times a day. For whatever reason (God), I opened this email and read the perfect quote for me at this time.

The perfect quote came from the artist Vincent van Gogh and it reads:

“The man of faith, of energy, of warmth… Steps in and does something.”

It is a line from a letter that van Gogh wrote to his brother, Theo, in 1884. Van Gogh expresses the need for action.

This Was The Perfect Quote For Me That Day

When we begin anything, a painting, a book, a new goal or challenge, first we have to overcome fear and doubt and simply do. Van Gogh went on to write, “Many painters are afraid of the blank canvas, but the blank canvas is afraid of the truly passionate painter who dares and who has once broken the spell of ‘You Can’t.'”

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https://unsplash.com/@jeancarloemer

Earlier this month, a few young women came to me with an idea they had for a phone app. They asked me what I thought, and I told them it was a great idea. I then told them if they wanted it to come to life, they had to put action into the idea.

When You Receive Something, Act On It

All ideas come from God or the Universe, and you receive them for a reason. It is something you are meant to do. If you do not act on them, they will be given to someone else. Recently I asked them how it was going and found out they had not put action to their idea. Fear and self-doubt stopped them from acting on the idea.

Don’t let this happen to you. Step in and do something. Overcome all obstacles and Simply Do!

Cites

https://unsplash.com/@reddalec

https://unsplash.com/@jeancarloemer