How to get past big problems
We all think we have big problems, but size is relative. Look at the following video and then ask yourself, “how difficult are my problems compared to his?”
I am not suggesting that your problems aren’t important or difficult. I am suggesting that if your focus is on the problem then you are lost. Notice in the story that he “was just grateful to be alive”
This allowed him to come from a place of positivity. He didn’t say “this isn’t fair, I am too young, I was just so close to getting what I wanted!”
He just thought about how much worse it could have been and everything else was easy after that. It is a hard thing to do but realise that even your biggest problems may not be as bad as think and you will go far. You may even want to even fantasize about how bad it could have been. (see mock letter below the video to get a feel for it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe0eAd-Jdz8
Dear Mom and Dad,
It has now been three months since I left for college. I am
sorry for my thoughtlessness in not having written before. I will
bring you up to date but before you read on you had better sit down.
Okay?
I am getting along pretty well now. The skull fracture and
concussion I got when I jumped out of my window when it
caught fire after my arrival here is pretty well healed. I only spent
two weeks in the hospital and now I can see almost normally and only
get these sick headaches once a day. Fortunately the fire and my jump
were witnessed by Roger an attendant at the petrol station, and he was
the one who called the fire department. He also visited me in the
hospital, and since I had nowhere to live he was kind enough to invite
me to share his place with him. He is a very fine man, and we are
planning to get married. We haven't set the date yet, but it will be
before my pregnancy begins to show. His divorce is final now, and he
shares custody of his 3 children.
The reason for the delay in our marriage is that Roger has a
minor infection which prevents us from passing our premarital blood
tests, and I carelessly caught it from him. This will soon clear up
with the penicillin injections I am taking daily.
Now that I have brought you up to date I want to tell you that
there was no fire, I did not have a concussion or skull fracture, I was
not in the hospital, I am not pregnant, I am not engaged, I do not have
an infection, and there is no divorced man in my life. However, I am
getting a "D" in Art and an "F" in Biology and I wanted you to see
these marks in the proper perspective.
Your loving daughter,
Jane
