I am sharing my latest column to be published next month.
By
Rob
Claudio
I was listening to speaker talk about the issue of trying to
remain calm during a storm a few weeks ago. As I heard her words I then
recalled having seen many inspirational quotes which have stated something
similar, yet, I felt as if I needed to clarify a few things related to this
statement before I could fully accept it. First, it is true that worrying
about things which you have little or no control over can chip away at your peace
of mind, especially when our inclination is to take immediate action.
Easier said than done, is also the next thing which then flashes through my
mind. In going back to the speaker she also mentioned that many of the
storms which we face in life were never part of the forecast, and on this point
I am in complete agreement. The reason is there are many examples through
the course of my own life when I felt that I was not prepared to weather such a
large storm, which I found myself immersed in as it arrived out of
nowhere. Think about the instance of having a car accident, which most of
us can never predict when they will occur, yet, we have all been there in the
aftermath of trying to figure out our next steps. What may have seemed
like a minor fender bender, can sometimes snowball into something much more
serious along with the costs associated with this inconvenience. So, what
happens when your forecast gets altered so strongly, that all of a sudden you
find yourself disoriented as you were not prepared for it and then have to
figure out the best exit strategy for yourself? For me the answer has
gone back time and again to having faith in myself and my circumstance that I
will be able to overcome these things with personal endurance, spiritual guidance
and the knowledge that I have family and friends which can lend me their
shoulder to lean on. I know that this may seem more difficult if you feel
that you lack a network of support and if you happen to be in that situation,
then I say look to do good things even in the most minor way to help others,
while you await a breakthrough for your own situation. When faced with an
obstacle, I don't have to go very far to realize and see examples of other
people who are facing much bigger issues than I am. When you put things
into perspective and you begin looking at how to tackle small items before you
can even get to the much larger ones, you essentially begin to put one foot in
front of the other. Before you know it, you realize that you are actually
walking forward while stringing together these milestones which will eventually
lead you to the place you needed to be. The caveat to this is the fact
that it may take longer than you thought was necessary and in many situations
you may feel as if one day was more like one month. However,
I still challenge you to do good deeds and seek out someone else who may need
some assistance in the middle of your own turmoil. The minute you take
your mind off of your own problems, is when your view of the challenge changes
and it is also when I believe you then allow for the right energy to lead you
in the direction you needed to go. I think we can all agree that as long
as we are living, we will face our share of obstacles on the road of
life. My hope for all of you is that you not lose sight of progress which
can be found in helping someone else. As an optimist I believe everyone
will find their way to the right place and ultimately the destination will be
filled with joy and peace of mind. I am also certain that all of us have the
power to weather unforeseen storms which were never in our forecasts and the
revelation that helping others when you also need assistance may sound
counterintuitive. However, you will be surprised at how things can fall into
place when you are no longer at the center of your own storm.
“If you spend your whole life waiting for the
storm, you’ll never enjoy the sunshine”
-Morris West
-Morris West
