Shine Beautifully Despite The Darkness

  

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.”

-Elizabeth Kubler Ross 

Nobody wishes and hopes to run up against obstacles and challenges in their life. Partly because we don’t know when they will pop up, and partly because, by definition, the solution for overcoming them isn’t easy to figure out or easy to implement.

As mentioned before, the beauty in these challenges is that it truly is an opportunity, but before that opportunity is revealed, the test is presented, the challenge, to see your true character, your true stamina, your willingness to buckle down and conquer the obstacle temporarily in your path – or permanently, depending on your what resides within you.

Similar to the analogy mentioned in the quote above, a person’s true character can be revealed when their luggage doesn’t arrive at their destination or when a major drain in the house becomes clogged or when the Christmas tree lights become tangled. Either you have a defeatist attitude or a get-it-done attitude, and you and I both know which one will be more successful and more pleasant to be around.

No matter how you have handled situations in the past – good or bad, how you handle the next obstacle is a choice you, and you alone, have the opportunity to make in the moment.  Depending on how we observed others handle tough situations as a child, we often model their behavior as young adults especially if the behavior was successful.  However, if the behavior was not successful, yet if we haven’t seen other options, we may not know how to handle difficult predicaments. 

The true beauty you reveal during times of struggle is a choice.  We all have the potential, the ingredients, to exude beautiful light.  It starts with the belief that there is a solution for every problem, it just might not be a solution you would have expected.  Once you accept that every problem can be solved, your creative wheels begin to turn, you begin to seek out help from those you trust, or books by authors who are reputable, and you refuse to give in.

Some dark moments are darker than others, and it might be that a bad choice has placed in you the situation you are in.  In such an instance, use this as an lesson to never repeat the same mistake. The solution in this case may be to take your punishment and not be bailed out so as to not lose the lesson and forge a different path.

Whatever it is that turns the sunlight out for a moment in your life, beam brightly, dig in and solve it. The initial first step sometimes is the most difficult part, but once you get your hands dirty and start seeing gradual results you begin to realize that you can get back to the sunshine.

Images: (1) Source (2) The Neo Traditionalist (3) Source

An Opportunity In Disguise

“Sooner or later comes a

crisis in our affairs,

and how we meet it

determines our future

happiness and success.

Since the beginning of time,

every form of life has been

called upon to meet such

crisis.”

–Robert Collier

Upon hearing the word crisis, a negative connotation immediately is attached in the mind. Whether it be something minor such as a fender bender, an overflowing toilet or something with the capacity to change life as you know it – an unexpected death, a crash, etc, crisis is not something a person necessarily prepares for. Yes, you most likely have insurance, but no one ever truly hopes they have to use it.  With just reason, crisis has earned the negative label that humans automatically attach to it; however, today, I’d like to challenge your way of thinking.

Let’s begin with an interesting bit of information shared by an respected orator, JFK. “When written in Chinese, the word "crisis" is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.”  The choice is within you as to how you approach a crisis when it presents itself to you.  You can choose to pout, recede and freeze up, allowing others to determine how you will come out of the unexpected situation, or you can take charge whether by what you say, or by what you do and have some say in how things are going to go forward.

After all, your true self is who you are in crisis. So what type of person are you? Are you a go-getter, someone who takes charge and determines their own destiny, or do you allow life to lead you by the nose?  The answer will be spotlighted immediately when you aren’t expecting it. So why not become that person you want to be now?

Going back to the mention of opportunity being found in crisis. Think about this for a second. During the Great Depression, as one would imagine, luxury products all but ceased being consumed which meant that an evening at the movies declined as an option, thereby, causing the movie industry to suffer tremendously.  So what did they do? Creativity sprung up and double features soon became the event to go to because it was quite the deal. Giveaways and theme nights became common place as well in the theaters to bring their audience back, and Hollywood successfully rebounded and then some. The same held true for Martin guitars. Instead of changing though, they stayed true to their mission of high quality and selling to local dealers.  Therein lies the seizing of an opportunity. They focused on continually improving their product so that their customers would not be disappointed and now Martin is the brand most highly coveted by musicians.

Maxwell Maltz states it very matter-of-factly,“Close scrutiny will show that most ‘crisis situations' are opportunities to either advance, or stay where you are.”

Think about it this way for a second. There really isn’t such a thing as luck, but rather a continual preparation of yourself for  opportunity, so that when it arrives you will be able to not only recognize it but take advantage of it even if it comes disguised as a crisis.

Are you preparing?

I wish you a very successful start to the last full week in August and remember, it all comes down to perspective.  Choose to see the opportunity and seize it.

 

Images: (1) Piper Pearl Page (2) The Decorista (3) Piper Pearl Page (4) You’ve Got a Face for a Smile (5) We Heart It

Find Your Sunshine

A couple of days ago I was fortunate enough to take my dogs for a walk while the sun was shining as though it was a foreign object and it was bragging about what it could do, and much to my amazement we seemed to have the park to ourselves.  As my two spaniels ran around to their heart’s content, they also picked up half of the mud that was left over from the rain the night before and decided to bring it home.

To their chagrin a bath was next on their to do list and mine as soon as we arrived home.  My young Cavalier King Charles took the bath like a champ, grinning and bearing it the entire time, but none the less he was a star and did very well for only having had a few baths in his young life.  As I was fiddle farting around the house, I started to look around to see where he had gone.  I finally found him soaking up the sunshine that was streaming through the windows shining on my stairs going upstairs. There was no need to rush and get the camera because he wasn’t going anywhere.  He was exactly where he wanted to be.  He nonchalantly poked his head around the corner when his name was called, but he was not about to miss out on some much needed love from the sun.  Soon, my English cocker found out about the secret, and they had a little chill session for a bit.

While this was one of the sweetest moments my two dogs have shared together, and I will never forget it, I was also reminded that even though we all go through things that we maybe don’t want to or maybe have forced upon us, it is ultimately up to us to “find our sunshine”, to push forward and find the good in what may seem a challenging or not so desirable time. 

Maybe you have been thrown more work than you feel is your fair share, or maybe your monetary income is less than expected, and you aren’t able to enjoy the things you once used to,  or maybe life has thrown you more than you feel you can handle. Whatever your burden may be,  there is an opportunity to be seized, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem at the time. 

For example, use that extra face time with your boss to demonstrate how competent you are and prove without question a raise is more than well deserved, or use the downtime that you now have because of limited funds to get creative.  After all, the time shortly after the Great Depression turned out some of the most creative and widely used innovations:  scotch tape, beer in a can, helicopters, a jet engine, the board game Monopoly – who knew?  The sunshine that we find may only last but a few minutes, but we must seek out opportunities for they will not necessarily land at our feet and will be gone before we get done complaining.

Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards.

 ~William Arthur Ward

If all else fails and you still can’t find your sunshine, at least not right at the moment, I’ve included some below. 

 

My baby Norman peeking around the corner.

Let the sun bathing party begin, Oscar has arrived!!

1. Royal Holloway 2.City-Data 3. Planet –C1  4. Maremma, Tuscany 5. Andrena 6.& 7. Simply Luxurious