Motivational Monday 7 - The Storms of Life

Sadly, life is not perfect. It’s wrought with disappointments, failures, loss and moments of hopelessness. Life is full of storms, including snow, ice, thunder, and lightning storms. Sometimes these storms all happen at once.

Lightning storm. Photo courtesy of Sabrina Bailey from the Red Room Photography.

The good news is that there will also be days full of blue skies and sunshine.

Crap happens in life. It happens to good people, it happens to bad people. There’s no reason for it; it just happens. What defines us in life is how we react to these bad situations and circumstances. Do we sit down and accept defeat or do we get back up and weather the storms?

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” Sometimes that’s good advice. However, I also think that there are times when it’s acceptable to not want to dance in the rain (plus, what if it’s not rain? What if it’s a snow storm? What if it’s an ice storm? You don’t want to get frostbite, do you???). You don’t have to be happy about your circumstances; you just have to make sure you don’t get blown over by the wind!

Snow storm. You don't want to get frostbite do you? Photo courtesy of Sabrina Bailey from The Red Room Photography.

 I like the idea of dancing in the rain, but, like I said, sometimes it’s not a smart idea (or it’s not raining). I found something else floating around the internet that I personally enjoy a lot better. The quote is attributed to Haruki Murakami, but you never know with the internet.

Anyways, the quote it this: “And once the storm is over you won’t know how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, that the storm is really over. But one thing is for certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in.”

Here’s another cliché: Even the darkest hour only has 60 minutes.

As a writer, I need to avoid clichés. I personally get a little nauseous hearing them. However, there is a part of me that likes them. Remember: clichés exist because they’re true.

So no matter what you’re going through, know that it isn’t the end. You are not the only person who has suffered. Storms come and go sporadically throughout a person’s lifetime, but the good news is that they don’t last forever. Know that it’s okay, and know that you don’t need to be happy about it. You only need to keep going.

“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.” Earnest Hemmingway.

Cheers!

Molly