Perspective, Attitude, Resilience.. Go above PAR

As I have mentioned in a previous post (found here), the last year or two has been absolutely hectic and pretty tough for me in terms of dealing with a culmination of issues. People often look at me a bit gone out, though, when I say that I have no regrets or bitterness.

For one, being bitter and wallowing in self pity is going to get me nowhere anyway. But the main reason, is that the more I think about it, the more I’ve learned from the trials and tribulations I have been through.

If you are a football player, or a doctor, or an accountant, you can almost never do what you want to be able to do when you first begin your journey. It takes years of learning, experience and mistakes to develop the necessary skill set. In my opinion, life can be treated exactly the same. In some ways I think those who go through more have a better chance at being successful in life because they have the capability of dealing with tougher situations.

This isn’t to say that having a hard life will guarantee a good life in the long run. What will make you have a good life is how you choose to react to the situation you find yourself in. You can choose to feel sorry for yourself, or you can choose to get out and solve your issues, or at least attempt to. Trust me when I say you will change as a person once you have this attitude.

The last year has also put things in perspective for me. Before, I was very much a naïve, narrow minded individual with a pretty selfish view of the world, if I’m completely honest. I was greedy for success and personal glory. Don’t get me wrong, I still have that same drive to be the best, but it is no longer the primary focus of my life, although it is still obviously a major part.

What matters is people. Relationships, friendships and family. The people who are in your life are the ones who can make it or break it, or sometimes a little bit of both. We’re all guilty of taking people around us for granted (and after all, why wouldn’t we?), and it’s something I have tried working on. Certainly, I appreciate people, past and present, for who they are rather than what they can offer.

I guess this post is kind of telling you that it is necessary, in a way, to embrace hardships as part of life. If you can see them as a challenge more than an obstacle, I believe you can get further. Don’t automatically take the easy route to avoid trouble, because this can backfire, as amazing as it might be in the short term. Sometimes the things you truly want in life, or what you need to do in life, may seem like the hardest, most impossible thing in the world. I assure you, anything is possible if you have the right attitude.

Rest assured, I’m not an eternally shining beacon of positivity. I have my moments, sometimes long periods where I wish more than anything that things could be different. But I genuinely believe that things will work out for themselves in the long run because I fight for what I want, even if it seems hopeless. I don’t quit. I feel like it, just as much as anyone, but I plod along relentlessly. I’m a competitive person, and I won’t let anything get in my way. You should be the same because, trust me, it makes all the difference.