…what do you do?
It gets tough out there!
Work is tough,
Studying in college is tough,
Getting good grades in school is tough,
Physics is tough,
English is tough,
Math is tough,
Cleaning after cooking is tough,
Exams are tough,
Community service is tough,
Life is tough,
Being a nurse is tough,
Being a teacher is tough,
Walking out in the cold is tough,
Driving in the snow is tough..
These are all the conversations that have been filling my day!
Makes me wonder, what is not tough?
To all of them, while I got to listen to them, one common thread evolved!
Everything is tough. We must put in our hard work with discipline consistently. Continue doing this over a period of time before it becomes easy!
Some things are not in our control. In those cases, simply take it one step at a time. Avoid multi-tasking and deal with the current challenge at hand. What happens next, can be addressed later.
When you are overwhelmed, there is always the 20% of things that are overwhelming. They stop you from pursuing your remaining 80% of productive stuff. This 80% holds the possibility to change your day. Focus on what you can control. Try to get your confidence back by working on some of the 80% stuff. When your morale improves, focus on the remaining 20%.
Isolate the problem. Yes… it needs some time to reflect. That is hard on a busy day, yet much needed. Time box the problem and how long you will think about it. Get some productive wins and then come back with a fresh mindset to deal with this problem. You may see other ways to resolve it.
Talk to those in your circle, who share similar challenges like you – like students, teachers, nurses, neighbors, colleagues. Listening to them sharing how they are feeling is valuable. They may describe how they are working through it, or how they have overcome the situation. This helps our minds gain the confidence that this too shall pass!
Learn from the experience, and try to do better the next time around! As the going gets tough, we need to toughen up, and overcome our challenges!