Whenever times get tough and I begin to worry about what’s currently going on in my life I always try to remember the worst thing that was going on in my life one year ago today.

Unless it was some tragic event or the loss of a loved one I usually can’t remember anything about that day. So it sort of puts whatever is concerning me today in a more manageable light.

I probably won’t remember what’s happening today this time next year.

That doesn’t mean whatever is on my mind isn’t important and I should just ignore it.

Chances are a year ago I did something to relieve the burden of that particular crisis. What ever that was.

Damage Control

There are two points of view that have gotten me through the most serious of times.

The first says, “In every adversity is the seed of an equal or greater benefit,” and the second, “If I only had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about the solution.”

Knowing what you’re up against is three quarters of the battle.

Keeping Your Cool

I’ve rarely made good decisions when angry or emotional. Count to ten, take a deep breath, and come back to this problem later, has always worked better for me.

This becomes even more important when others are involved and your decisions will affect them.

It’s perfectly okay to screw up your own life but it’s not permitted to mess with the lives of others in a negative way by making hasty decisions.

So calm down, — think, — and look before you leap.

Some Final Thoughts

Life never runs smoothly as much as we’d like it to. But the good news is that in about 90 percent of all situations you have the controls to do something about it if you so choose.

You can pick the hill you want to die on — metaphorically speaking.

Think back to what you were doing on this date last year? Anything critical going on? Were you in hysterics? On the verge of ending it all?

Guess what — you’re still here reading this. Good for you.

You’re reaping the seed of an equal or greater benefit.

Do you remember what was bugging you this time last year?

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