Look at a man in the midst of doubt and danger and you will learn in his hour of adversity what he really is. - Lucretius, Roman philosopher

If ever there was a time to look at this quote, it is now. The economy is tough all  over the world, people are losing jobs left, right and centre, everyday there is  another company that files for bankruptcy protection ... etc. How are you coping  with it all?

And it is not just what is going on in the world around you. What is happening in  your life right now? Does it seem the world is falling apart all around you? Every  step you take seems to lead you further down the wrong road? All your bright days  cloud over with thunderclouds? How are you handling it?

It is so easy to be bright and cheery when things are going so well and there are  no glitches in our plans, our life, or the world. It's easy to just glide along,  carefree, never thinking anything but positive thoughts and singing or humming  while you walk or drive. But what happens when an unexpected pop-up happens to  interrupt your song?

It's not easy to stay strong and joyful when things get going rough. It is a far  easier thing to do to sit down, pout about it, tell all your friends the bad news,  keep whirling it over and over in your mind making a molehill into a mountain than  it is to think that this is just another bump in the road that eventually will pass.  Don't believe me? Look back at other hardships and hard times in your life. Did  they stay? Most likely no. If you are still here, I'd say it passed. Oh, you may  think about it now and then, it may even bring you down sometimes, but do you  let it keep you down or do you shake it off and get back up on your feet again?

What you do when dark clouds cover your sunshine is a reflection of character in  you. Are you capable of coping with setbacks, down times, unexpected  emergencies and so on or do you crash, whine, roll it over and over in your mind  until you are irritable, tried and angry? I know people of both ways.

The person who mulls it over and over and over is a very negative person to be  with. Not a positive thing is said about anything. The person doesn't realize all  the blessings in their possession...good health, a sound mind, an education, a  family that loves them, a community who appreciates them, an income to live on,  a household of furniture, clothes, food and non-essentials, living in a free country,  plenty of people who like them, etc. Not too many people like to be around this  person. They bring others down, push them away by their negative attitude, are  looked upon as toxic because they won't see what they have instead of what they  don't have and so on.

The other person faces trials as they come. If there is a setback, it does bother  them and they do think about it; however, rather than just mulling it over in their  minds for days and weeks, they experience the emotions of the situation and then  try and find a way to make it better, or they look at the better side of life and are  thankful for what they do have. Once the setback passes, they often learn from  what they have gone through and are able to pass that on to other people. This  person knows there is no point in worrying over matters they have no control over  because they cannot change it. They know how fortunate they are compared to so  many millions of others. They even appreciate the setbacks because looking back,  they can see how they gained strength and insight from it. They are not perfect,  but they don't bring people down with them, but are there for them to pass on  their wisdom gained from the crises and set backs.

How you handle things in life tells more about you than what you say. Actions  speak much louder than words do. Even here on SparkPeople, you can tell who the  Worry Mullers are as opposed to the This Too Shall Pass people. It comes across  in their writings, in the mood of their writing. It does not take a professional to  tell if a person is able or willing to deal with the ups and downs in life or if they'd  rather just rest high on the mountaintop, never falling and getting up to learn  from it.

So it is time to take inventory for yourself. Take a look back about five years  maximum. Think of the situations that have caused you pain, anger, worry etc.,  and reflect on how you handled it...or if you handled it at all. Going through  hardships will either make you a stronger and wiser person if you are willing to  fight to get through it and rise above it, or it will break you and make you more  negative, depressed and cause people to push farther away from you. People don't  like being in the presence of negative vibes. Put two settings in one room - both  sides have experienced the same thing, are the same gender and age. One side  sits down and writes about how they feel and in so doing find wisdom. The other  side sits with their head down, no smile and could be mistaken for a statue. Still  on the other side the person is smiling now, becuase they can see what they have  learned from it and how they may be able to pass this knowledge onto other  people in the future. Now back to the opposite side, the person is now laying  down on the couch, all curled up looking like they were just told they had one hour  to live. THAT would be a crisis. But is what you are facing bad enough that you  cannot embrace it, learn from it, release it and then use it for good in the future?

As a survivor or more than 20 assaults, a person with 35 medical conditions, I can  say that life is more than just lying around, pouting, moaning and groaning about  what is wrong, or what is not right, what is missing, what you don't have, what  the other person has that you think they don't deserve etc. It is about getting up  each time you fall. It is about learning to improve yourself when the trials  come...and they will come. Learn how to handle difficulties in a way that is  positive and you will soon have friends that enjoy your company and smile when  you walk their way instead of trying to slide away. How can you change your mode  of dealing with life?
 
Butterflies don't start out beautiful. They start as ugly, many legged, furry  creatures that make many women screach. They wrap themselves in a cocoon and  in order to shine and share their beauty, they must work hard, striving, stretching,  fighting to break free from their tomb. And when they do, almost everybody who  sees one gasps at its beauty.
 
In nature, a tree does not become a beauty overnight. It takes many years of  harsh weather, human tampering, and must struggle to stretch its branches and  twigs and to run the sap/food through its limbs to feed the petals that make it  beautiful.

So it is with humans. We too must work at things, stretch and grow in order to  develop quality character and wisdom. The question is, are you willing to face and  deal with LIFE as it comes along or are you going to lie on that couch forever?
 
This is a far better attitude...
 
 

than this!