Election Day 2020 and I won't go into politics, but I will say that in this country it is a privilege to vote and if you don't, then you don't have permission to rant and rave on your social media platforms or carry on a controversial issue in social settings. Because if you are not willing to put your opinion on paper and help contribute to your cause, then you have no right to speak to others who did vote. In my opinion.
So moving on from my soapbox, I won't address any more political issues in this blog, but I will reference it as it is stated this election is one of the most controversial and impactful elections every because of the economic crisis from the pandemic. So no matter the outcome, we need to be able to adjust. And that's what we will address, adjusting to our given situations.
Sometimes in life we get to choose change and other times we don't. But what we can choose is how we respond. Let's take another example. Tragedy and opportunity do exist within our lives. Whether the tragedy is death or job loss or divorce or a pandemic. Whether the opportunity is a new career, a marriage proposal, a birth or new friends. These can exist together and from tragedy can come opportunity. For example, a job loss could lead you to a new career opportunity that has better benefits or higher pay or be more challenging or uses more of your skillset and you never would have taken that leap if you weren't pushed out the door from that other company. Or what if you have to be patient to get the answers from God on why the tragedy happened, but in the years to come, it becomes clear. For example, an unwanted divorce would bring more happiness and self-worth than you would have ever experienced if you stayed in the marriage.
So with the pandemic and all of the aftereffects and the results of the election, how will you lead yourself through the reset? Will you see the opportunity in the tragedy? Will you be able to pivot and adjust? Will you as a leader be able to cast vision despite the circumstances?
John Maxwell, one of my favorite authors, states in his book "Sometimes you Win, Sometimes you Learn",
Adversity always gets our attention. We can't ignore it. It causes us to stop and look at our situation. And at ourselves if we have the courage. Adversity is an opportunity for self-discovery. Adversity has introduced me to myself in many times during my lifetime. It has opened my eyes. It has plumbed the depths of my heart. It has tested my strength. And it has taught me a lot. Here are a few of the lessons I've learned:
When I have gotten off track and am seemingly lost, I have learned that the road to success is not always a road.
When I have been exhausted and frustrated, I have learned that trying times are not the time to stop trying.
When I have been discouraged with my progress, I have learned not to let what I was doing get to me before I got to it.
When I have failed, I have learned that I will not be judged by the number of times I have failed buy by the number of times I succeed.
Wow, these are powerful words. I love the first bullet, the road to success is not always a road. How many times in our life have we taken the dirt path through the woods and came out on the other side? It can be bumpy and we might hit roadblocks, rocks, stumps, but we always keep going. Life is never a straight, paved road. And if it was, it would be boring, not challenging and uneventful. Be adventurous. Take risks.
What about bullet two, trying times are not the time to stop trying? Yes, its easier to give up sometimes, but what do we learn from that? Those tough times just make us stronger and more resilient--able to pivot.
So as you move forward, ask yourself how you are able to lead yourself through a reset that wasn't your choice. Will you turn a tragedy into an opportunity? Will we embrace the positive in every situation?
