You’re stronger now.
Unfortunately, suffering is a part of life. But here’s the good news: adversity builds character. While it’s hard to understand why bad things happen to good people, there’s one certainty: what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. As hard as it may be, try to learn something from every bad experience you go through. Be reflective and mindful of how you react in certain situations. For example, I get easily stressed out while driving. Then I realized how ridiculous it was to overreact to things out of my control that don’t really matter much anyway. These behaviors were learned reactions. I’m not saying I never get annoyed and irritated in the car these days. But I recognize when these reactions start to happen, and I’m better able to control them. Treat every bad thing that happens as a learning experience, and you’ll get stronger every time.
You’re capable of more than you think.
Humans are the most intelligent animals on earth. We have an amazing ability to think, reason, and adapt. Use that gift. Understand that you are capable of whatever you want if you’re willing to work for it. Circumstances don’t define us. Our mindset does. If you think you can’t, you’re probably right. Your capabilities are limitless. Whether you want to get a great job, find love, lose weight, or just stop feeling so sad all the time, you can do it–you need to be willing to take action though. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Stop make excuses. Take the first step.
It’s worth it to take the next step.
The first step will be the hardest but the second isn’t always easy either. We’re a society that expects immediate gratification in everything we do. That’s not how things work though. Nothing great comes easily. That’s why it’s important to always keep moving forward. 10 years ago I was fat, depressed and miserable. So I decided to change. I started working out one day a week. I started cooking more instead of going out. I took baby steps. But those steps began to compound into amazing changes in my life. Keep moving forward and taking small steps every day and the same will happen for you.
It could be worse.
Life is relative. I thought I had a bad day yesterday because I had a stressful day at work and got caught in a traffic jam on the way home. Then I realized there are people who don’t have a job, a car or even a home. There are people suffering from life-threatening diseases. There are people who have endured suffering infinitely deeper than I have ever experienced. Sometimes when we have a bad day it helps to stop thinking it’s all about us. Others have it much worse than you. Help them and you’ll help yourself.
What’s done is done.
Some days you get dealt a bad hand. But guess what? It’s over. Whatever bad things have happened to you are done with. Put them behind you. Those bad moments don’t exist anymore. Remind yourself of this whenever you have a bad day: the only thing that matters is the present. Focus your energy on right now because whatever happened in the past no longer matters.
The light in your life will always outweigh the dark.
It’s easy to get caught up on the negative when bad stuff seems to pile up on you over and over. When I have a bad day and negative thoughts swirl through my head, here’s the strategy that always seems to help me the most: I refocus on everything I do have instead of what I don’t. Think about the people who love you, the hard work you’ve put in to whatever skills you’re really good at, and all the great things that have happened in your life. If you’re like me, you’ll realize you’re pretty darn lucky.
You’re still here.
Life will test you in more ways you can imagine. You have probably suffered a lot in your life. I know I have. But here’s the thing: we’re still here. The fact that you’re alive and reading this is a miracle. So let’s stop taking life so seriously. Have fun, love deeply, put your stamp on the world, take risks and live your life. Featured photo credit: gabsiq via flickr.com
