UNCOVER THE HIDDEN TREASURES IN LIFE STORMS

“Never walk away from failure. On the contrary, study it carefully and imaginatively for its hidden assets.” Michael Korda

“Never let the storms of life change who you truly are; your inner beauty, core beliefs, values, thoughts, and strengths. Rather, let who you are equip and enable you with the power and desire to change and shape your circumstances, to your advantage.” Dr Sylvia Forchap-Likambi

Of note, every challenge or perceived challenge that comes your way in life, once embraced with optimism, comes to enrich you, make you grow, and become a more resilient and better person. Consequently, never let the storms of life change who you truly are; your inner beauty, core beliefs, values, thoughts, and strengths. Rather, let who you are equip and enable you with the power and desire to change and shape your circumstances, to your advantage— with a deep knowledge and assurance of the fact that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

You would agree with me that it is very possible for two people to go through exactly the same challenge in life, yet end up with exactly 2 different and completely opposite responses and hence results/outcomes—based on their personalities. Just like the carrot, egg, and coffee, having undergone exactly the same challenge, not a single one of them came out the same as the other—with all 3 having completely different outcomes, attributed to their intrinsic nature and characteristics.

Another profound lesson to be drawn from this story, that highlights the significance of changing your perception when affronted by adversities or life storms is this: just like the carrot, which was initially rigid/ hard prior to the immersion in water and heating/ cooking process, but became softer/ more flexible after going through the heating/ cooking process or challenge; you may currently be very rigid/ inflexible and hard on yourself and towards others.

Consequently, the challenge you are facing at the moment that seems unbearable, has only come your way to accomplish a very unique purpose—that of making you more flexible, and less rigid or sensitive towards yourself / your needs and expectations; and towards others/ their needs.

Whilst in the case of the egg, you might be very fragile and vulnerable in life or at this stage of your life, such that every single challenge or adversity you encounter in life, causes you to break down—become stressed, anxious, and depressed. Hence, the purpose of what you are currently considering as a huge and unbearable challenge that has come to break and destroy you, is simply a tool to strengthen and reinforce you and your core foundation. In effect, it is a timely device required to make you less fragile, unbreakable, and more resilient.

Finally, the amazing life lesson enveloped in the coffee is awesome, and could be interpreted in your own life scenario as such: just like the coffee could never be consumed without being immerged and/ or boiled in hot water—in addition to the fact that it has to be consumed together with the hot water and could not be separated from it. In the same way, some of the challenges/ storms you perceive to be currently going through in life, are not necessarily life storms/ challenges, but requisites for the fulfilment of your purpose…and must be regarded and embraced as such— in order for you to fully exploit and maximise the benefits that come with them. That is to say, the purpose of the coffee could never be fulfilled without it having to go through the boiling process or perceived challenge. Just like gold would be inexistence in all its magnificence and splendour, if it did not have to go through the furnace for the purification/refining process!

Of note, this is not a static point of reference; but rather, a very dynamic one. At different times or circumstances in your life, you may be one or more of these 3, while in other times and circumstances, you could be another/ a different one… and that is very ok! Nonetheless, my most favourite of the three is the coffee.

I so much love the coffee because it solidifies and buttresses the fact that you do not necessarily have to wait to come out of a challenging life situation or scenario (like what you may be currently going through at the moment while reading this book), before you could fully appreciate your worth and the beauty of who you are/represent and/or have become as a result of the challenge. Right there in the midst of the challenge/s, you could and should appreciate who you are—your authenticity, self-worth, and beauty—and be free and proud to be you.

In fact, you should and must have a great and positive attitude at all times—even in the midst of the challenge; looking very optimistic and forward to embracing and overcoming the challenge and the next—with a profound and well grounded knowledge of the fact that it is indispensable for the fulfilment of your purpose…and that your true beauty, worth, and essence is destined to be revealed in that challenging situation.

Also, you do not need to separate your past from the present or be ashamed of it… thinking it is horrible, shameful, and of no benefit to anyone at the moment. I can perfectly understand that, you might have had a horrible and shameful past you are absolutely not proud of—we all have made some wrong/ misleading choices and decisions in the past we may not be proud of, and wish we could change them. However, our mistakes and/or shameful past do not define us, and will never do, unless we wilfully or unwilling allow them to. They have been a very significant part of our journey to the present, and must have pruned and shaped us in one way or the other in becoming who we are today.

You are a totality of your past, present, and future, and in this, there is a great story to be told and numerous lives to be touched and impacted—it’s all about your perception! What you may perceive as a mess, could just be your ideal message of hope and encouragement to the world…it’s all about how you perceive it.

“There are times in our lives when we have to realize our past is precisely what it is, and we cannot change it. But we can change the story we tell ourselves about it, and by doing that, we can change the future.” Eleanor Brown

“The challenge is to draw on the past but not be bound by it.” David Brazzeal

The Above article is an excerpt from 7 Powerful Strategies For Overcoming Life Challeges

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