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Every problem introduces a person to himself – John McDonnell

Cheryl McGuiness, wife of co-pilot Tom McGuiness, the 1st plane to hit the World Trade Center 9/11/01 has lived through difficult days. In her book, Beauty Beyond The Ashes, she writes, “As unfair, unreasonable, and impossible as it seems, we still have work to do after a tragedy occurs. We still have roles to fill. We still have a responsibility to family and friends. The stuff of live may pause for a while, but it doesn’t stop. Fair or not, that is reality.”

1.Everyone has bad experiences – Life is FILLED with ups and downs. No one gets to pass on bad experiences. Here are some great quotes: “I try to take life one day at a time, but lately several days have attacked me at once.” “ Dennis Wholey television host stated that “Expecting the world to treat you fairly just because you are a nice person is a little like expecting a bull to not charge you because you are a vegetarian!”

2.No one likes bad experiences – Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman stated that before his fame he was a waiter, Gene Hackman worked for a moving company, and Robert Duvall worked at the post office. If you manage days of struggle wisely, there will be a day when you can talk about your bad experiences with a smile.

3.Very few people make bad experiences positive experiences – Do not become like the bumper sticker mantra which read; When the going gets tough, it is time to take a nap.”

There are many things that can cause us pain. Consider some of these issues:

The Pain Of…..

• Inexperience
• Incompetence
• Disappointment
• Conflict
• Change
• Bad Health
• Hard Decisions
• Financial Loss
• Relationship LossesSo how do you turn your pain into gain? Frank Hughes once stated that experience is not necessarily the best teacher but it sure serves as the best excuse for not trying to do the same silly thing again.Consider the following….
  • Choose a positive life stance – a “life stance” is the sum of your attitudes, assumptions, and expectations that people hold about themselves and others. Develop a better set of guiding presumptions on life.
  • Embrace and develop creativity – Author Donald Walsh stated that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Don’t whine about the circumstance, get creative about the solutions. Dig in and finish strong!
  • Embrace the value of bad experiences – Charles Kettering head of research at GM once stated that you will never stub your toe standing still! Stated another way, where there is no struggle there is no progress!
  • Make good changes after learning from bad experiences – Writer Charles Baldwin suggested that not everything can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced. Authors John Kotter and Dan Cohen states that changing behavior is less a matter of giving people analysis to influence their thoughts than helping them to see the truth to influence their feelings.
  • Take responsibility for your life – In Winning Life’s toughest Battles author Julius Segal suggests that people who overcome bad experiences avoid the label of VICTIM and take responsibility for moving forward.

LINKS

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Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!