How far two people go in life (in terms of their pursuit of success and achievement) will most often depend on their individual mind sets. When something unpleasant happens to you, your mind set determines how you see it.
You’ve Probably Read or Heard About the Analogy of the Glass Cup Filled to the Middle with Water
A pessimist regards it as half-empty. The optimist regards it as half-full.
Neither would be wrong in his/her assessment of the fill level in the glass cup.
However, each person’s adopted view often determines how s/he feels about a situation or an issue. And that will influence what s/he will subsequently be prepared to do to change it.
As Human Beings Our Natural Instinct is to View Anything We Dislike as Bad for Us
When something we value is running out, we feel like we’re losing. That’s negative, and not pleasant.
But when it’s growing or increasing, we feel like we’re progressing. That’s positive, and pleasant.
However, the truth is there will be times when what we find unpleasant may actually be a blessing in disguise!
For instance, exposure to lack (of money etc) could teach us prudence in spending. Or even train us to endure hardship.
The creator has unique ways of passing lessons to us.
We must therefore learn to be more perceptive in evaluating every experience we have, each day.
Sometimes What We Dis-like May Be What We Need to Get What We DO LIKE!
For instance, when we fall ill, we may have to take medication – or at least stay in bed to get well. The drug may come in form of bitter tablets which we do not like swallowing.
Yet they could be the only available option to get us well.
Some people are so outdoor loving/active that a doctor’s order to stay in bed would feel like a death sentence to them. Yet, if they fail to do it, a worsening of their diagnosed health condition could result.
You can choose to see any bad experience you have the same way e.g. a job loss.
See it as a challenge for you to make a better change in your life e.g. to choose a new career path, explore a different vocation or start a business.
It could be unpleasant, and even difficult/painful for a while, but eventually, it would yield positive benefits for you.
A person who lacks the ability to endure hardship, will not be useful to his/her children if/when life throws a challenge of adversity at his family.
The creator knows this, and that’s why he sometimes lets seemingly bad stuff happen to us. Rather than hurt us, they are meant to – proactively – toughen us up, for a future need, we may not yet see. Take it from me. I HAVE been there more times than I can count!
That’s Why I Stopped Believing in Coincidences
Over the past ten years, my experiences have taught me that there are no coincidences. Your experiences arise from choices you make, against the background of guidance quietly offered by your creator.
Unfortunately, most of us have not learned to listen carefully enough, to make choices in line with the creator’s promptings.
This is the reason why we sometimes take a while to turn our circumstances around.
Do you see what I mean now? It really so simple!
I say this from over a decade of personal experience, learning to listen and act properly myself.
What I’ve learnt now enables me more consistently achieve changes I want in my circumstances.
Give what I’m saying here serious thought. Doing so could reveal truths you need to make progress!
Get Started By Learning about Others Who Changed Their Circumstances
A good way to begin is to read about others who overcame adversity, and/or setbacks to succeed.
Many repeatedly dug deep into themselves to find new inspiration, and change their situations.
All it took was a mind set shift. Specifically, a refusal to view what happened to them negatively.
So many such stories can be found online. Google will throw up enough to get you started.
You can also speak with any persons you know – or discover – to have achieved authentic success in a similar manner. (NB: Emphasis on authentic success here, is very deliberate. Today, we have more phony people telling fake success stories. Beware!)
Now, even if you cannot find such persons to talk to, stories available on and off the web (in autobiographies) can do wonders for you. They were all I had to accompany me during many lonely years of struggles and persistence.
And they proved to be worthy companions!
Reading them taught me the patience and endurance I needed to overcome delays, disappointments and setbacks that came my way.
Today, I’m better equipped to confront and defeat adversity, than I ever was when I started out in 2002, as an entrepreneur.
That’s why I truly believe YOU can also change your circumstances, by changing your mind set – and acting based on it, to achieve your goals.