Things to Keep in Mind When Life Throws You a Curve

You think you’ve got it all figured out, and then one day you don’t. You think you’ve got the best in front of you, a path you choose with no detours, and then you reach a brick wall. When your best-laid plans go awry, it might be discouraging, but you can get back on track.

It may appear impossible to recover; this dead-end may appear to be permanent.

That isn’t the case. It’s time to refocus your goals, your love life, your story, or anything else that is bothering you, and recreate yourself.

You’ve got what it takes on the inside. You have all you need right now to abandon your current road and start on a new, better one.

Even in the dark, the light within you is designed to be seen.

When life throws you a curveball, just remember that you’ve been there before. You’ve made it this far. You’ll be able to break through this barrier as well. You’ll triumph. You’ll come out on top. You’re going to make it.

When you arrive, remember to take a look back every now and then to realize how far you’ve come. In the midst of getting through this, it is your Why. It’s not the first time you’ve done it. So you’ll do it again.

It isn’t simple. But it is possible. Whatever the situation, you only have one option in life: how you respond. 

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It has something to do with one’s mindset. When you have a positive attitude, you will have a stronger character, which means you will bounce back faster if you take things in stride.

You will be liberated if you have the following mentalities.

Here are 13 things to keep in mind if you ever encounter a brick wall in life:

1. All You Need Is Inside You

When you’re getting back on your feet after hitting a brick wall, keep in mind that you’ve already come this far. Everything you need to move forward is already inside you: the drive, the resilience, and the determination.

You have the skills, abilities, and power to break past that barrier and to the other side. 
When you look within, you can see how valuable you are.

The outer world may disappoint or disappoint us, but there is nothing you can’t do, accomplish, or recover from when you look to yourself for strength. 

2. Your Story Isn’t Over

Hitting a brick wall can feel like the end of the world, and it very well could be. However, just because one chapter of your life is coming to a close does not indicate your tale is coming to an end. What appears to be a dead-end is actually the start of something new.

You must adapt it to your tale – the story you are telling yourself in order to overcome the challenges that lie ahead; your story. You won’t be able to go back. You can’t just pack your belongings and leave. You still have to find a method to progress.

It could be as simple as thinking to yourself, “This doesn’t end here.” It also doesn’t. It is not going to happen. If you don’t want it to, it won’t. Your story will continue; in fact, it is designed to do so. It’s only a matter of living it. You won’t like every second of it.

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3. Today Is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Every day, you can find what you need in the idea of starting fresh. Today is the day that you figure out what matters most to you. You discover how powerful you truly are. You take what you’ve learned from the detour or dead-end and start over.

You will not feel like a failure if you appreciate what you still have and can provide. Consider how far you’ve already come. Check out what’s left and what you can do.

You’re still alive, right? You’re still alive and well. That’s all we have at times, and it’s all we need at others.

4. Just Show Up

You won’t always be inspired to break through the wall, and you won’t always want to put out your best effort every day. It’s fine if you don’t show up, though.

If you don’t have the energy to solve the problem, simply show up, even if you have no idea how it will finish. To begin solving problems, we don’t need to know every possible conclusion.

So simply turn up. Simply show up. Expect no answers or revelations. Expect to be surprised by what the future holds.

One thing is certain: there will always be challenges, but there will also be chances. To find them, all you have to do is show up.

“If you can’t fly then run if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

5. Find Your Fire

What enlivens your spirit? That is something you must take advantage of. When you hit a brick wall, find your fire. It’ll be gone in no time.

Steve Jobs once made a commencement speech at Stanford University,[1] in which he talked about “connecting the dots.”

You start to connect the dots as each flame or passion for life burns brighter. You start to figure out what makes you tick, what motivates you, especially when you feel like you’ve run out of options.

When you listen to your heart and intuition, he claims, you “somehow already know what you actually want to become.” Everything else is just a bonus.”

What makes you so enraged? What can’t you live without? What can’t you live without doing, being, or loving?

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6. Pave the Way

You may have hit a brick wall, but someone, somewhere, has already prepared the route for you to go this far. Perhaps you’re paving the way for someone else as well. 

Find out who has already accomplished what you’re attempting. Or who has paved the way to get there. Recognize that you are the next in line. 

All you have to do is remember that you are never alone. Before you, there have been great men and women. You only need to see them, hear their voices, and identify their talents in order to apply them to your own path. 

7. Be Humbled

Allow life’s ups and downs to humble you. You may believe you have it all, just to discover that you do not. It helps us not to take anything for granted. You may lose sight of who you think you’re supposed to be, but you’ll never lose sight of what you’ve already accomplished.

Instead of being enraged, allow yourself to be humbled. See the world in a completely new light. You weren’t supposed to be on that path, so instead of going around, take a different route. This is the most difficult since we want to feel capable of anything at all times.

We want to fly with the wind in our hair. However, once you realize you can fail, you also realize you have the ability to start over. We discover our truth, what genuinely defines us when we fail. It’s not easy, but it’s well worth the effort.

Everything else is icing on the cake. So, be humbled. Be self-disciplined. Be loyal to this life. When you hit the wall, be humbled.

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8. Start Again

Don’t waste this opportunity to wallow in self-pity. When you strike a brick wall, it’s time to start over. You can only accomplish so much if you drag your steps and keep your head down. You must look up, stand tall, and be proud of the opportunity to begin over.

You don’t judge your success based on how simple the journey was. It was how you maneuvered your way through the obstacles you had to overcome. You’d miss out on the meaning of it all if everything came effortlessly to you. And that is a far more significant loss.

Your day has arrived for you to rejuvenate yourself and become the person you need to be. Life will continue to change, and you will as well. You would never grow if you stayed the same your entire life.

To change and be transformed, you need to grow.

Allow yourself to be renewed, and the rest will take care of itself. Focus on the biggest and most significant change of all, the goodness of you seeing an opportunity in this stumbling block.

Other than that, you don’t require much. You may believe you do, but you are liberated when you recognize the value of life’s simple pleasures.

9 Stay Positive

It makes sense to become negative in the face of negativity. It feels natural to want to become defeated and depressed. But you’re only sabotaging yourself.

“Change your thoughts, change your life.”– Wayne Dyer

Make a gratitude list every day. To make peace with oneself, repeat mantras on a daily basis.

When you glance around, it’s natural to focus on the negative. Instead, teach your mind to look for the good in every situation. Repeat the positive you’ve discovered over and over until it’s second nature to see it.

Why does it function this? Some could say the universe, others might argue our brains change as a result of the habits we acquire, but in the end, it’s about knowing that not everything is as it appears. The brain’s natural tendency is to focus on the negative.

You may change your mind by merely believing. Have faith in the good. Look for the positive. That’s the way things work. It’s been there since the beginning.

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10. Take Deep Breaths

The fact that life’s walls can be chances for growth and new directions does not negate the fact that they can also be difficult. If you’ve hit a brick wall, you’re probably in for a rough patch. It’s critical to schedule time for self-care.

While you’re recovering, take it easy. Relax, refocus, and take a deep breath. Take a few deep breaths. Concentrate on the negative departing with each breath and the good returning with each inhalation.

Consider what is important. In mindfulness meditations, observe thoughts rather than judge them, according to Meditation 101[2]. This allows you to concentrate on your breathing.

Mimi Page’s “Reflection” is an example of a meditation you can do:

There is a slew of them out there!

Meditation can take place anywhere and at any time. It might happen while you’re stopped in traffic. It might happen when you’re standing in line at the supermarket. It isn’t merely a routine. It’s a mindset. One that has the potential to make a huge difference.

11. Change Your Life

It’s time to accept that things aren’t going as planned. So, how do you go about it? Are you going to stand there and stare at them? You make them move, not the other way around. You alter the course of your life.

You modify what isn’t working in order to bring what is working together. You only need to begin with tiny steps and work your way up to larger tasks.

Remember that all you require is already within you? All you have to do now is find your passions and connect the dots.

Don’t be a bystander in your own life. Take control of the situation. Attempt to win. You can learn how to climb over the wall once you’ve hit it. Start climbing by digging your feet in.

Make use of any ledges you can locate. Make the best of what you’ve got to get yourself back on your feet.

That’s being resourceful.

That’s being resilient.

That’s doing what is right.

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12. Help Others Along the Way

There’s nothing more satisfying than assisting someone else with a problem we’ve encountered.

You get 10 times what you put in. It provides you a purpose to make amends for the mistakes you’ve made in your life. It motivates you to turn the page and begin living the next chapter.

You become less fearful of the hurdle in front of you when you help others. You’re reminded that you’re not on your own. You’re alive, and your life is valuable. Others will motivate you with their own determination and stories.

You make a difference when you reach out and assist someone. That suggests you haven’t yet succumbed to defeat. That is to say, you must not surrender.

Helping others is recognizing a universal truth — we all deserve love and light. You deserve to know what it’s like to have recognition, too. When you help others along the way, you realize this:

“I shall pass this way but once; any good that I can do or any kindness I can show to any human being; let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.” — Etienne de Grellet

13. Bounce Back

Resilience, according to Dysheada Rheed[3], is the act of bouncing back or resisting cracking under stress.

There’s no turning back now. You’ve come too far to just give up now. It’s time to get back on your feet.

Furthermore, two factors influence resilience:

  • a compelling reason why adaptability is important
  • You will be able to overcome the current challenge if you have a solid why. It does not imply that you have resolved all issues. In fact, it’s possible that you’ll succeed merely because you keep continuing because of this reason.

For example, Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl has stated that if you have powerful enough why you can “overcome anyhow.”

When you’re adaptive, you recognize that appreciation may be found in any scenario. This is crucial for getting back on your feet after hitting a brick wall. You realize that you can not only face a problem but also that you can learn to work with it rather than against it.

When someone is stuck in a current, they should not try to battle the current. They should just roll with the punches. This is how one overcomes adversity and ensures survival.

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Final Thoughts

You have the freedom to be whoever and whatever you want, to do anything you want, and to love anyone and whatever you choose. It’s time to be restored to your full potential.

It’s time to get back on your feet. It’s time to simply be. Just have faith. And then you’ll be on the other side of that wall, thinking to yourself, “I did it, that was me.” 
You’ll make it through. I’m confident you’ll succeed. 
Best wishes.

Reference:

  1. Standford: Text of Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech
  2. Meditation 101: Techniques, Benefits, and a Beginner’s How-To
  3. Positive Psychology: Resilience Theory: What Research Articles in Psychology Teach us

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