The Feeling of Hopelessness.

The state the world is in leaves much to be desired. Watching the news on the telly these days can contribute to a feeling that the world is deteriorating beyond recognition, and that the downward spiral does not look like it will abate. As I look around me, it seems really daunting. That light at the end of the tunnel looks like a fantasy, and not a distant possibility. The feeling of hopelessness accompanying these thoughts can get really overwhelming.

As I rummage through these feelings that surface, I decided to take stock of my internal conversations. It was all very easy to fall prey to emotions. These feelings of hopelessness can easily suck one into the victim mentality. The path of least resistance is to feel overwhelmed, wallow in self pity, dwell on our own misfortunes, wish for miracles and the crux of the problem, do nothing but wait.

I have long admired true stories of characters that triumphed against all odds. Oftentimes, wished I had the tenacity to succeed in the face of adversity. These figures appear to possess characteristics which I thought I did not, hence, not being able to achieve the results desired. I would consider myself intelligent, experienced, brave and adventurous. So I am exposed to the myriad of inspirational quotes that are so cliched, but goes in one ear, and as quickly exits the other. Understanding a phrase, does not mean one lives it. People throw around phrases like, "Live like there's no tomorrow" or "When the going gets tough, the tough get going", but few, if any, actually LIVE by those values on a daily basis. We like to sound clever, even to the extent of preaching such values to others, (myself not excluded), but to be conscious enough to live it is just another matter altogether.

So as I reflected on the choices of reactions and responses I have towards feelings of hopelessness and helplessness that arise, I find myself wanting to look at myself as a fighter. For me, a fighter does not quit. A fighter fights, no matter how hard it gets. This does not equate to being reckless, or to fight with abandon when the situation calls for a step back to restrategise. It means, regroup, reassess, restock, then take action. If it fails, repeat as necessary.

Because the way I see it, life is how much you put into it. If you invest 10 dollars, your life will look like 10 dollars. If you decide that your life should look like a million bucks, it's time to put in the investment to see the results you so desire. You may not have a million bucks to put in all at once, but if you keep your head down and put all you have into it, it'll start looking pretty sweet.

Note to self: Heed own words. ;)

Keep your heads down people, and see you at the million dollar club.

Excuses.

They are for those who will not take accountability for the faults or mistakes. There is no other way of looking at it. Excuses surface when someone is intending to shift the 'blame' away from themselves for the shit that happened.

Shit happens. It is part and parcel of life. We do something, it doesn't work out. Sometimes, it blows up in our faces. Bam! Shit happens.

The question is, what happens after shit happens?

99.9% of the time, the general population is very adept at quickly concocting reasons why they are not responsible for the outcome. Blame shifting comes naturally for almost everyone. We never like to be wrong. We always like to be right. Hence, the ability to 'justify' ones reasons for less than favourable outcomes has become an instinctive art that requires very little formal education.

This is not to say that there doesn't exist a pocket of people who have risen past that selfish victim mindset and are able to face faults and mistakes head on, accept that it has happened, move past it to find a mitigating solution to arrive at a favourable outcome.

When you have committed an offence or mistake, it is really ungainly to sit on a high horse of defensive indignation. Making matters worse is to point the finger at the person who has called you out for your mistakes, turning the tables and blaming that party for not being 'understanding' of your 'misfortune' of not holding up your end of the bargain.

This is the world where I live in. It is no wonder that rainbows are few and far between to colour my day. If you happen by chance to be reading this, help
make my day a little better by not giving excuses, and look at how you have contributed to the situation, take a responsible stand and choose to make it better. I thank you in advance.