I wrote last week about some of the challenges I’ve faced over the years.
The world can be very discouraging at times. There are so many things wrong, that if one looks only for the bad it can be found without ever considering what is good, or right, or enjoyable about the world.
An alternative to the approach I took in my prior article is to see the negatives I described as opportunities. I worked for years as a tutor, teacher, and coach, and I worked with people of all ages who were going into careers in finance, accounting, business management, social services, and so forth. Through our interactions I was often able to expand their view of the world, and open them to new ideas.
I shared my experiences with them, and I believe they will be better than what I’ve been exposed to, better than what I have come to consider as normal. It may not be possible to measure the impact that I’ve had, but I know that, at minimum, a handful of these students will change the world for the better. They’ll take what I taught them to a new level, and be more competent, more capable, and more open to new ideas than the people I’ve spent my life surrounded by.
So when things get hard, or you start to feel frustrated, I’d recommend you take a few minutes to reflect on how your actions have helped to make the world a better place, whether directly or indirectly.
If you find they haven’t, perhaps it’s time to reconsider the way you live your life. More likely, though, I think you’ll find that things aren’t as bleak as they sometimes seem – that there are rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds all the time…
Photo Credit: James Brown, Angel's Stairs
