by Karolyn Hart

What sort of trouble are you in lately? Have you recently lost something like..

… a job?

… a spouse?

… a home?

… an opportunity?

… a dream?

Then you just may be amongst the most fortunate and successful people in the world! Those of you who are jaded are staring at the screen with a sneer on your face, while those of you who are devastated may have just paused your crying for one second to grab another Kleenex.

Either way if you are in the middle of encountering major trouble and struggling with a bad attitude then this is the article for you!

It all started when I was reflecting that some of the best changes in my life were always preceded by the most by painful situations. Whether it was in my personal life or professional life - a major challenge always resulted in major opportunities.

I’ve had people tell me its because my “stars are aligned” and even that “I must have a lucky horse shoes shoved up my (ahem)” but I believe that it comes down to one simple thing - my attitude.

Apparently I am not alone AND I am in the company of many great people who have succeeded at many things. Thomas Edison said “I have not failed. I have merely found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Winston Churchill commented that “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

If these great men saw failure so positively, then why don’t more people? As I looked back over the various challenges in my life I realized that I did a few things right in how I handled the situations.  This approach allowed me to embrace, grow, and take (in some cases) the next step that brought me to a whole new level.

If “trouble” just unexpectedly showed up at your door here’s how to handle her.

Step One - Shut the Door and Grieve
Give yourself permission to be disappointed.  You’ve just experienced a loss and it’s important that you take the time to acknowledge it. The size of your loss will determine your grieving time.  Don’t feel the need to put on “airs” and pretend everything is OK when the entire world knows it’s not.  It’s ok to say “this sucks” or “I’m sad”!

Step Two - Decide to Count Your Blessings
Even in the middle of a loss it’s ok to  look around and remember you are blessed. Perhaps you were blessed for having a person in your life for as long  as you did - on  the other hand - perhaps you are blessed now that your energy is no longer being sapped from dealing with that person.  Perhaps, the only thing you can be grateful for is the pint of Chunky Monkey in your freezer. Whatever it is, take note of it!

Step Three - Decide to Learn a Lesson or Three…
Now it’s time to evaluate the situation.  Is there an area in your life that you need to get under control? Are you repeating the same mistakes?  Take the time to do some soul searching and decide that you will “fail forward” and that you will be stronger because of what you are going through.

Step Four - Get Moving
If you are really learning a lesson then you are going to take what you’ve learned in Step Three and DO something about it.  Need to change a bad personal habit?  Get accountable with a friend who will kick your butt. Need to grow professionally?  Take the necessary training to do so.  No idea what I am talking about? Find a mentor - they’ll tell you!

Step Five - Keep Yourself Encouraged
My favourite way to keep myself motivated is to read stories about people that had all the odds stacked against them.  In most cases you will  discover it was raw determination and perseverence that finally lead to their successes.  If all else fails read Helen Keller’s story.  If a deaf and blind women can be successful against all odds - what’s YOUR excuse?

The fact is that trouble and challenges allows us the amazing opportunity to discover our inner strength.  It provides the unique gift of shocking us out of our mundane existence and giving us the opportunity to reevaluate ourselves.

So the next time you see trouble coming - get excited. It’s probably just the beginning of the next chapter in your life!

Filed under: Author Karolyn, Life