Staying tough in tough times

Life is in cycles. Each cycle of life is different, with its attendant threats, opportunities and challenges. The cycles of life sometimes bring adversity, and sometimes, prosperity. Each cycle comes and goes but life remains.The choices we make and our lifestyles bring us either progress or adversity as each life cycle beckons. The truth about life is that, it is not always rosy. There are times we miscalculate in our actions and it results in a storm. Sometimes in a bid to get it all right, we unexplainably find ourselves in negative circumstances we never bargained for.
Seeing that we cannot totally avoid adverse circumstances is a truth we must all grapple with, as long as we have the breath of God in us, especially now that our choices as a nation has landed us into a precarious predicament. A lot of people have been badly affected by the economic ill wind blowing across the land. Evidently, tales of economic gloom, bad governance, wanton bloodletting, insecurity, unemployment, business closures, loss of jobs, and hunger, reverberate all through our media. What hope do we have as a nation? What hope do you have as a person caught in the eye of this storm that is seeking to envelop our land?
The solution is in sight. The Holy Bible gives us a clue on how to respond to these tough times. It is stated explicitly in Proverbs 24:10, “if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Staying tough, is the key to overcoming these tough times. We need to toughen up mentally, emotionally, and physically and strengthen our resolve to ride through the storm unscathed. The storm has come, the recession is with us, but the onus is on us to come out of it. How tough you are, is what keeps you afloat. Taking a disposition of weakness in times of crisis is an invitation to defeat.
In his book, “Conquering an Enemy Called Average, “motivational Speaker, John Mason tells us that “it isn’t our position, but our disposition that makes us happy. Remember, some people freeze in the winter. Others ski. A positive attitude always creates positive results. Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. Depression, gloom, pessimism, despair, discouragement and fear slay more human beings than all illnesses combined.” Similarly, John C. Maxwell in his book, “Failing Forward,” opines that “your response to adversity reveals your attitude, and your attitude determines your outlook.” This shows that our attitude or approach to adverse situations can either lead to a positive or a negative outcome.
Another way to respond positively in this debacle is to access your strength. You are easily diminished by your circumstances if you don’t have enough strength to square up. Your strength is the determinant of the outcome. Your strength is your power base, both in good and in bad times. It is your unique endowment from God that gives you advantage over others. The truth is that adverse circumstances challenge your strength. Accessing how strong you are in your area of endowment or operations would enable you to know where and how you stand. If you are weak, then you have to work on your strength. Probably you are outdated in knowledge and methods; you need to enhance yourself to be more competent, acceptable and contemporary in your business or career. Do not allow the dynamism of times to make you obsolete. Strengthen yourself; don’t succumb to the tough times. Increasing the size of your strength reduces the potency of your adversity, and makes it fizzle away easily.

 

OKEY ONYEMA