Everything in nature happens at the right time. A thunderstorm may seem damaging, but the beauty it produces wouldn’t exist without it.
It happens. Times when you’re on top of the world, everything is going right and eventually, it comes crashing down.
It may not be your fault, but you must see through it and not get stuck. We all want to celebrate and be happy when life is going our way (and we want it to be that way forever), but when it presents a challenge, our mood quickly changes.
Most people will play the victim, complain, blame and look for a hero to save them. Some will make a little effort before stopping all together. A few will get up and take responsibility of the situation and pivot.
The important thing is to not give in. Yes, give yourself time to get through your feelings, but don’t let it take forever. We all have feelings of, “I wish it wouldn’t have happened – why did it happen now – maybe I’m not good enough.” Acknowledge them, but recognize when it’s time to move on.
Nature Opens Your Mind
The challenging thing about rebuilding yourself or getting through an obstacle, is starting from scratch. Asking for help is fine, but don’t expect someone to take on the entire responsibility of changing your life.
Once you’ve got all of your emotions out and under control, take a walk outside. Go walking out in nature (preferably without your phone or with your phone on silent) and allow your mind to wander. Notice how everything around you grows and activates in it’s own time.
There is a season for everything.
Such is life. Things will happen that will knock you out of rhythm, but it could be time to pivot and do something else. To think that nothing will come out of it and avoid taking action is to fail before you begin. Failure is what leads us to learning the best way towards the outcome that we want. The trick is to learn and adjust your next move.
Figure It Out
After taking a walk, figure out what you’re going to do next. It doesn’t have to be the entire plan – just focus on the next step. Often times, we look at the whole picture without adjusting the details. As you go, you will grow.
At the same time, know that yesterday and the past is over. The only thing you can control is now. You may see it as something that’s stopping you or holding you back, but life always finds a way to present new opportunities within the challenges. Learn to let go of the past and embrace the unknown of the future.
It’s okay if you don’t have a clear vision of what’s going to happen – that’s the beauty of it. You get to discover something that could potentially change your life, or help someone else in the process. Even if it doesn’t turn out good, at least you have a story to tell. No one is perfect.
Have faith and determination about the next step you’re going to take. If it didn’t turn out the way you expected, do something else. There’s no need to put yourself down and go down the path of victimhood. You have greatness in you and you’re currently on the journey to allow it to come to reality.
Think Forward
This is the foundation of building yourself back up. Start, fail, pivot, repeat. It’s the only way to move forward and find out what you’re really capable of. You’ve heard the stories of people who became their best after hitting rock bottom, or after experiencing some life changing event. You may feel like it’s all over, but it’s just beginning. You get to design what you want your life to look like starting now.
Understand that this will take time – it won’t happen in 48 hours. All you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other. Other people may be ahead of you, but that’s not your story. Stay on course and be focused. Don’t measure your success by someone else’s ruler.
Life isn’t all cotton candy and rainbows, but we possess the ability to make it better by being more productive with our actions. Take a hint from a nature walk. There will always be ups and downs, but know that you can always get back up and start again.