It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem.
You have heard these canned solutions.
If you would just go to bed earlier.
If you would just pray.
If you would just not let them hurt you.
If you would just stop doing this or that.
If you would just exercise.
If you would just change your diet.
The list goes on and on of how if you would just change one thing in your life than everything would be wonderful. Some people scuttle from one guru to the next trying to find the secret key that changes everything. What I learned was easy answers work for easy problems. I tend to make problems more complicated than they need to be. Sometimes I am too close to the problem and need outside suggestions to try something different. At times I wrestle with the same problem for years not realizing I am attacking the symptoms and not the core problem. I had an assignment to talk to a group of women about emergency preparedness. As the women walked in the room, I handed each one of them a band-aid. I then went to the chalk board and we listed every problem they could think of that a family might face. Everything from natural disasters to loss of employment went on the board. We filled the board with everything that could go wrong. Then I asked them to look at the band-aid in there hand, how many problems on this board could the band-aid fix. Yup, just one, great for a small cut. A family needs a whole box of tools and ideas to cope with everyday problems. During my years in counseling I learned how ill-equipped I was to cope with anything. However, I am willing to learn and put in the work needed to change my world.
I learned there are some tools that can help:
Persistence - Many a person gives up when they were about to make a break through.
Learn from others - Listening and learning from others opens possibilities that I never dreamed of.
Work - I don't mean only the kind where you get paid (being paid is a good thing) but the kind that needs to be done day in day out, dishes, washing clothes, cleaning, caring for yourself, caring for pets, outdoor plants, a never ending list of things that need to be done.
Play - I find I need to play. Sometimes how I play seems silly to someone else but that's ok.
For me, I need to maintain my connection with my Father in Heaven. We chat daily, sometimes I actually listen. I don't always follow through on everything but I keep being persistent.
I like what my sister said..."The secret, there is no secret, life's solutions are there for everyone to learn."
I am fortunate to be blessed with amazing teachers, friends and family that give me a boost of encouragement when I need it.
No comments:
Post a Comment