How do you pull yourself out of the dumps financially, spiritually, and emotionally when you feel you are so down in it that there seems to be no possible way out of it? I understand how one can feel when it seems that every door you have knocked on has had no response to the urgency of your need. Time does not stand still and neither do people; while life is being slowly siphoned out of you daily as you look for ways to escape the vicious cycle of one disappointment after another. As you attempt to avoid the symptoms of an internal virus, the virus continues to eat away at what progress you may have made. However, the struggle is apparent and the questions you have are still unanswered. You are tempted to capitulate and join the ‘woe is me’ association in hope that you can bury your head and never resurface again.
When you are in a dark hole financially, spiritually, and emotionally, it is easy to feel discombobulated by the frustration and anxiety that comes with feelings of displacement. In times like these, it is important to know that not all who wander in the maze of frustration and disappointment are lost in it. Take advantage of your present situation and think with sobriety and not with anxiety. As calmness settles in, so will clarity concerning what to do. Your life will begin to adapt and reflect the status of your mind. A person who thinks that their life is not a reflection of their thoughts is one who believes they had nothing to do with the unpleasant consequences that resulted from bad choices. Situations are usually not favorable because instead of being active in searching for ways out of them, we sit inactively waiting for someone to rescue us out of our apathy. The degree of responsibility you take for your life determines how much change you can create in it. The actions of a man help to determine his value. Little action results in little value. If a person doubles their action, they will double their value.
As long as you are alive, no situation is truly hopeless. Having a passion for life and a desire to live it to its fullness will ensure that your attitude about it will remain fresh and vibrant. Refuse to waddle in the puddle of discontent, when you can swim in the ocean of vast opportunities. Despite how doom and gloom you feel about your life’s condition or the collision course you feel that you are on with failure, remember, failure is only failure when you have made it your permanent residence. The obvious is that you are not satisfied with where your life is right at this moment, and most people are not. However, rather than waste time and energy complaining and worrying, use that time and energy to wisely and constructively deal with whatever is causing your anxiety.
Many years ago, a young Midwestern lawyer suffered such deep depression that his friends thought it wise to keep all knives and razors from him. During this time he wrote, “I am now the most miserable man living. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully forebode I shall not.” He was wrong. He did recover and went up to become one of America’s most-loved presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.” –Viktor Frankl
I know at times you wish you could change your circumstances and how they affect your life and your loved ones, but here is some good news…you can. Everything and every occurrence is created twice, first in the mind and then in reality. Change things mentally, and mentally things will change. Speak to the things you want to change in your life, and your life will change into the things you speak. Jesus said, “…you shall have whatever you say.”
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