One of the things most of us have learnt through our life time is that life is not easy. All of us go through bad times in our lives but we can get through them, however some struggle to break through.
Is life getting you down?
Are you struggling to bounce back?
Is life proving too hard?
We are always going to have periods where things don’t go well. Times when you feel like there is no hope.
Someone asked me the question the other day following my ill health and problems with my eye sight:
“When life gets so bad what keeps you going?”
My answer was simple, I do everything I can to remain positive and in particular focus on my BHAG. BHAG stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal, an idea conceptualized in the book, “Built to Last” by James Collins and Jerry Porras. It is a long-term goal that changes the very nature of your existence.
Many people call it your big picture or breakthrough goal which is defined as a goal which will bring about dramatic improvement.
Maybe in simpler terms it’s that I dare to dream big dreams and as Marcus Aurelius wrote:
“only big dreams have the power to move men’s souls.”
No matter how badly I was struggling, particularly with my health, I held on to thoughts of something perfect and different from what I was experiencing. You can do exactly the same. Think about this. If your potential were completely unlimited, what kind of a life would you want to create for yourself and your family? The more clear your vision of the future, the more resolute you’ll be no matter what obstacles come your way.
I’m going to put it another way. It’s very simple, I want to live a life that has a happy ending. Everything I face, every struggle, difficulty, pain that I may have gone through, needs to make sense, and in the end, have been worth it.
“To live is to suffer, to survive is to find meaning in the suffering.” Nietzsche
One of my favourite activities is sitting next to my granddaughter and watching the fairy-tale Frozen. For those of you living on planet Nog it sees a kingdom becoming trapped in perpetual winter, and our hero Anna bravely pushes through many challenges and hardships in a race to save her kingdom from winter’s cold grip. We also watch Tangled, a story of a girl Rapunzel locked away in a tower who goes on a journey to find her way home to her mother and father, and has to get through many difficult challenges.
It’s wonderful to see my granddaughters reaction with the happy endings that always happen with these type of films. They all go on to live happily ever after. We are a family that has always enjoyed such films. My two daughters were brought up on a Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and a multitude of other Disney Stories. I’ll admit two of my favourite all time films from my youth are “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Bedknobs and Broomsticks”.
Almost every fairy tale sees the main character overcoming adversity. Good overcoming evil.
Isn’t that what we all desire: to be the heroes and heroines of our own stories; to triumph over adversity; to experience life at its best; and, in the end, to live happily ever after?
Maybe you’ve made a few mistakes…or more than a few. I know I have. That doesn’t mean the fairy-tale has to end.
Maybe right now you’re stuck in a world full of hurt, pain, and failure. The characters in these wonderful movies go through even more hardship, anguish and grief. And you know so can you. Even if tragedy strikes or life knocks you down, you can move forward to your dreams. This is what I truly believe!
Make your story one of courage, hope, persistence, belief and yes hard work. Make it that the last page of your life reads like a wonderful fairy-tale.
Never give up on the belief this can happen.
Focus on everything that’s important to you.
Go find your fairy-tale ending
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