What to Do When Life Doesn't Seem to be Going Your Way
Life has its ups and downs
Photo by Mohamed Nohassi on Unsplash
This is my 1st Substack Post! Yay!
Life is a series of ups and downs. Recently, my life hasn’t been going all that well. My money situation isn’t ideal, although I have a backup in the bank so I’m not starving to death. My wife is in the same boat and unable to find work. So how do you handle life when it’s not going well and everything seems to be crumbling down around you?
Your Life is Still Probably Better than Most
In the Western world, we are spoiled. We still have a lot of support groups for people that are struggling as well as financial assistance when times get tough. In many parts of the world, they don’t even have that.
We tend to be ungrateful and want it all in life when a lot of people struggle in others parts of the world for their very survival. I’m thankful for what I do have. I have food on the table, a roof over my head, and other things that are luxuries in places like Africa.
Take it One Day at a Time
Day-to-day struggles can be a burden, but try to live each day to the fullest even if you’re struggling. Find some passion in your life and work towards that. For me, that’s writing. Currently, it’s not making me a whole lot of money, but that’s fine. I see each new day as a challenge and know that with consistent effort, I’ll probably see some success. It’s not happening right now, but that’s fine.
Pivot Your Focus
In some cases, you may need ot pivot away from what you’re currently doing and try something else. We don’t have to stay in the same job or rut like always. For me, I’m re-starting my old eBay business selling my old sports cards. I’ve also taken up gardening to grow more food for my wife and I as inflation is causing food prices to skyrocket. I had fun growing tomatoes last year, and they tasted amazing. Here’s a picture of some of them. :)
Sometimes you need different things in life to take your mind off of other challenges such as a financial burden or maybe a relationship. Life is a series of ups and downs. We can rise to the challenge or dive deeper into our own self-pity. Focus on things that make you happy. This will help you get through the rough patches.
Keep Learning
Sometimes, we may need more direction in our lives, so don’t be afraid to keep learning new things. I’d never gardened before, but the results were amazing as I watched countless videos and tried various strategies to make my garden the best it could be even though we have meager space on our condo deck.
Trying new challenges and improving yourself can help you refocus on the other challenges in your life. Gardening helps me relax, so I can focus more on writing. It’s also given me a whole host of new content to put out into the world. This year, I plan to document my gardening experiences.
Focus on the Positive
We are always tempted ot focus on the negative, and the truth is that the negative can be easier to focus on than the positive. The problem with that is we tend to go down the rabbit hole and may never get out of it. Stop beating yourself up and realize that life can be challenging at times. We all got through it. Many of us will face challenges our entire life.
It’s what we do with that life that matters.
Embrace it.
View my Medium blog.