For the first official #MondayMotivation I figured I’d start with my own quote, one I live by and believe can help you too.
[tweetability]“At the end of the day, when the shit hits the fan, all we can do is breathe. Breathe, put one foot in front of the other and start to move”[/tweetability]
- Neil Thornton
Death happens, financial crisis happens, heartache happens. When the world around us is crumbling we must go back to the most basic of living. One moment to the next. Surviving each step as we rebuild the pieces until one day we stand on top of a new foundation, stronger.
There are so many things all around us that can bring us down, from the big things to the little, but it’s important not to give up on yourself. After a pretty unfortunate 2013, I lost some important relationships, my home, my grandmother, I was assaulted and put in hospital, all while working in a job I didn’t like, I was pretty low as a person going into 2014. As I began to rebuild myself, a friend said to me “Don’t confuse a moment in your life with your life.” I was floored. This was one of the biggest ‘Aha! moments’ for me. Suddenly, everything I had been going through didn’t seem as bad, and most importantly, as big and all consuming.
[tweetability]”Don’t confuse a moment in your life with your life”[/tweetability]
The bad things that happen around us don’t define us, there are merely part of the journey form which we are supposed to learn and grow from. Maya Angelou put it as simply as it can get - “When you know better, do better.” These moments may last minutes, hours, days, weeks or even months, but they will change, and you can perpetuate change with a change in attitude.
Do not be brought down by negativity in your life. Acknowledge its presence, learn to cohabit with it during its stay with you, but let it know who is in charge of your life.
When things are bad there are a couple of simple things I do to help me regain my focus:
Take a deep breath
Say to yourself “I am breathing, I am still here”
Do it again.
Guess what?! You’re still here.
With each step, and with each breath, be thankful you are still here, that you are still going. If you can breathe, you can still make change in your life. It is never lost.
My second step to clarity is as simple as putting pen to paper. Literally.
Grab a pen, grab some paper. Write down…
“I am so grateful and thankful that I am breathing.”
“I am so grateful and thankful that I can see.”
“I am so grateful and thankful that I have friend who care.”
…and keep writing, you’ll be surprised by how much paper you can fill. If you happen to be in the situation where you feel alone, without friends or family. Keep it simple - your sight, your hearing, the fact that you can enjoy a sunset, your health. Find the little things that are positives, they will soon bathe the negative shadow in an abundance of light.
Know that you will come through and if you’re alone, know that you have the power to take yourself through.
Have you ever felt like this? Overwhelmed by current situations? If you can, I’d love to hear your story if you want to share it.
I am just an email away. Get in touch: [email protected]
Neil
Welcome!