When everything in life is good we let our guard down and go into cruise mode. For most people, the only time they ever learn anything in life is when they are forced to sit up and take notice. And the way Life makes them listen is to send a monumental disaster. There is no option but to take immediate action! We SAY we want this or need to do that, or we should do this or shouldn’t do that. Why don’t we actually ACT on what we say we want or need to do? Because it’s EASIER not to! We’re quite comfortable in our present state, and even though we say we’re miserable we prefer that to the more uncomfortable fear of the unknown.
- When do we change our diet and start exercising? When we have a health scare.
- When do we tell people how much they mean to us and that we love them very much? When they’re lying in the hospital after an accident.
- When do we check our accounts and make sure our paperwork is in order? When we are going to be audited.
A disaster strikes and suddenly we are very motivated! We learn our biggest lessons when our life gets the toughest. But the problem with tough life lessons is many people often don’t get past the shock of the initial event; instead they are left with a permanent emotional injury.
People who successfully move forward after a tough life lesson aren’t necessarily more resilient or luckier than others. But they usually recognize that disasters are actually turning points in their life and that there are lessons to be learned from the experience. When they get hit over the head with Life’s sledge hammer, they ask themselves, “What do I need to change to make things better?” How can I look on this in a different way? Do I need to do things differently now?”
People unable to move forward from these tough lessons tend to not see the warning signs and when their proverbial roof caves in, they ask, “Why do bad things happen to me? Life’s not fair.”
Humans are creatures of habit and we will continue to do things as we’ve always done, UNTIL WE’RE FORCED TO CHANGE. It’s not until things get bad enough that we will actually make ourselves go outside our comfort zone to do something about improving our situation.
So, why can’t life just always be good and we live happily ever after? I don’t know. Call it God’s will, Nature’s law, Sod’s law, or whatever you believe in. But like it or lump it, it is always going to be there and we all have to deal with our share of this law many times in our lives. Take responsibility or say you’re a victim, fight it or ignore it, but it will continue regardless. But we are not here to be punished. Life isn’t a big mean monster that is determined we will all suffer forever.
Life is just trying to make us DO something. It is trying to teach us how to live to our highest potential but when we continue to ignore the lessons, it must make the lessons more obvious and not so easy to ignore! That’s why IF YOU LOOK FOR THE PURPOSE IN EVERY EVENT IN YOUR LIFE, YOUR LIFE WILL THEN HAVE PURPOSE.
So I can hear a lot of you saying, “Oh, but I just can’t! It’s not my fault and there’s no way I can think differently about it.” And there you go…that is your lesson!
Growth is about changing your point of view and seeing a new way, and sometimes taking a leap of faith that THERE IS ANOTHER WAY and IT’S DIFFERENT FROM YOUR NORMAL WAY! At some stage you must be brave and sit Life’s lesson exam. If you keep failing at it then Life has no other option but to keep bringing the same lesson, until you get it!
So, when does life get easier? It doesn’t! But you can learn to handle it better and you can progress through the lessons with more ease.
The first step is to make a commitment to start. It’s far too easy to put off the hard stuff and pretend it’s OK to carry on the way you are. But at what cost? Never say to yourself, “I’ll start but first I need to…” Because there’ll always be something that comes up and you’ll put it off.
We will never get our life organized into tidy little piles or orderly boxes, so it will never work to say, “I’ll do it when I’m better prepared.” Make a start now to learn the life lesson that has been given to you.
If you ever catch yourself saying, “I can’t”, change your thinking to, “How can I?” Then when the answer comes to you, GO AND DO IT!
Happiness in life is not a destination or a prize that is at the end of a long journey. With that sort of attitude, happiness will always be out of your reach and forever a distant wish. Instead, learn to take control of your life and bring purpose into each of Life’s lessons. Enjoy the small moments of happiness that appear and celebrate small successes each day. Turn the journey to Happiness into a life-long adventure, despite the apparent harshness of many of Life’s lessons along the way.