Richard Sengupta reached out to me couple of weeks back and during the conversation he did mention that “Satish in the last 6 months I have gone through the worst of times and also the best of the times” Now the problem is I am unable to switch mode and manage these two entirely different contrasting situations.
Now this got me thinking and I just put myself in Richard’s shoes for a minute. How has life been for me personally in the last Six months? I have, like each one of you gone through emotional roller-coaster rides of being high and also low at times.
Some of the things professionally and personally did work out great but also some took me down into dumps when things did not go the way I wanted it to happen. So sharing my own experience and what exactly I did learn to come back on track to work on my own big goals irrespective the situation around me.
Nothing Is Permanent
It is extremely important to sow this idea in each of our minds that nothing is permanent in the world. What is happening right now to each one of us is just a phase and nothing else. I always look through life’s situations through this set of lenses.
So if something is going great then, I just sit back and enjoy the ride. If things are not going great then I quickly do what needs to be done to set it right, learn from my mistakes and move on. There is absolutely no pride in beating ourselves for things which are beyond our control and digging a deeper hole for ourselves.
The earliest lesson I learnt about life not being permanent was when I was in my teenage years and studying hard for my board examination. In fact, I was looking forward to finish my exams in a couple of weeks’ time and enjoy my holidays. However life did have other things planned out.
I lost my father tragically in just about days during this time and even though it was a deep loss to our family, my mother did fill in the strength to me by saying that life has to go on and convinced me to take up the exam.
I eventually did take up my board exam though. However that particular lessons did teach me that nothing in life is permanent but a temporary phase which each one of us have to walk, run or at times crawl. I personally crawled through that time, but did go through it.
No One Can Be Prepared Hundred Percent
Our life is so unpredictable that it is next to impossible to be prepared hundred percent all the time. However that does not mean that not being prepared at all is the smarter option. Even if you are prepared 10-20 percent for any eventuality, then it does give you that much of a heads up in dealing with life’s twist and turns.
Just like how each one of us buy an insurance just in case of any eventuality each one of us need to be prepared to a certain extent when it comes to your top 3-4 areas of your life. Let me give you an example.
I always plan for an emergency fund for my own business and always do park a percentage every month for any emergency. How did I learn this? Well the hard way for sure. When I began my business I had not counted this in and it did give me a shock which took me a while to recover.
Work on the top 2-3 critical areas of your life which does matter the most. Look at this area from all angles and through all lenses. Ask yourself the following question
1. How will I deal with life when that happens?
2. How long will I be able to sustain and swim against the tide?
3. Who are the people whom I can count on during this time?
4. How should I approach life during this phase?
Don’t Be Caught Surprised
If you expect people to help you when you are down in the dumps then you are just day dreaming. The only person who can help you hundred percent is none other than you. Yes there will be family, friends and well-wishers around you during this time but remember that they too have their own challenges to deal with. So do not be expecting much from them.
When Arjun Rastoji came to me last month, he was going through a painful separation and this had affected his productivity and he eventually lost a well-paying job. Suddenly, Arjun Rastoji was left in the middle of the road with no future both in his personal and professional journey.
When we did discuss this in our Coaching intervention, we realized that there was more than enough indicators of things not going well in both areas of life. As usual, Arjun Rastoji ignored it and brushed it under the carpet.
He thought his family and friends would stand by him. They did but only for a short duration of time. It was expected of him to do the hard work of wriggling himself out of the hole. He did manage though after some intense one to one coaching engagement. Now Arjun Rastoji is much wiser and has learnt his lesson the hard way. He did tell me these words “Satish I think my Life would have panned out for better if I was not caught surprised”
Be Battle-Ready
The only way you can be prepared to face life’s eventualities is to be battle-ready. Just like how the Special response and rescue teams prepare themselves for any eventualities, I am a big believer that each one of us need to be battle-ready to take life head on.
This can only happen by focusing on what matters the most. Your physical and emotional well-being. You have to be absolutely on top on these two areas if you are looking at becoming extremely successful. If either of them is your weak area, then believe me you will cave in and be a driftwood against life’s strong current.
So working in this area is going to be extremely critical going forward.
The best thing about your physical & Emotional Well-being is that you have absolute control on both the areas and you do not have to depend on anything or anybody to help you step up. As long as you are up to it, then you will be able to run through any challenge life throws at you.
This article in Time focuses on 8 steps to be resilient in life during tough times.
Tough Times Do Not Last But Tough People Do
Yes, I do know that you have heard the above lines from Robert Schuller. What I am asking you is “are you living by these words”? If yes then great you probably belong to a minuscule percentage of people who know exactly how to weather the storm.
If not then you have to toughen yourself both physically and emotionally. There is no short cut for this. Some of the things which can help you work on your physical strength is
1. Walking or running
2. Strength training
3. Aerobic activity
4. Practicing yoga
Some of the things which you can do to work on your emotional strength is
1. Meditation
2. Stick to a 7-8 Hrs. sleep schedule
3. Hydrate yourself better
4. Eat healthy
5. Practice visualization
I have personally been practicing each one of them from more than a decade now. I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has done to me and also to my own clients over the last one decade. Once you begin to work on yourself from the inside out is when the actual magic does begin to happen. Step up and step out. It is one life we do have and we do not get another chance.
Life does have its own way of teaching us that nothing is permanent and everlasting. However what you do from today is what matters at the end of the day as to how you will be able to deal with it and come out unscathed. This blog of mine focuses on how one can make the most out of life by learning crucial lessons.
Originally published at satishrao.in