Drowning in a Sea of Circumstances or Rising Above. What will you Choose?
If you can stay positive in the face of negativity, you WIN! — Author Unknown
I was very intentional in naming my business. I wanted the name to be an extension of my philosophy and belief about life. Life should be a continuum of growth and learning. Learning For Life is an educational services business. To me, education is about making an impact on life, not just the curricular areas that are focused on in school, but life as a whole. Some days, this blog is going to be bigger than school or literacy and anything else related to what we normally think of as school. Sometimes, it will be about life and the ups and downs of daily living.
As I wrote that I was reminded of a poem that I heard many years ago called The Dash by Linda Ellis. What matters most about life is what happens between the beginning date and end date of life, not the number of years.
My life has been filled with change, some good and some not good at all. However, what I believe is that I wouldn’t be who I am today if something was missing during the dash.
Some days it is easy to drown in the sea of circumstances. The challenge is to not get bogged down in the weight of the circumstances or the heaviness of life. There will always be problems, but they must not become the focal point.
Learning to run a business has been exciting and exhilarating as well as challenging at times. I am encountering things I have never had to deal with or learned before. At times, it is frustrating because I have no idea what I am doing. Thankfully, I am stubborn enough and determined enough that I keep plugging away and pushing forward. Sometimes I have to wave the white flag and ask for help. That is hard for me, not because I don’t know something, but because I don’t like feeling like I am burden. It just reinforces what I have known about myself for quite some time that I am independent and I am used to figuring things out on my own.
The last few days it would have been easy to drown in a sea of circumstances. Each day I have made a conscious decision to try and have a different outcome. Sometimes it is a moment by moment decision what my attitude is going to be, but I choose to rise above the distractions and disappointments and find the positive or life lesson that can be gleaned. What outcome do you want? To rise above or drown in your current circumstances? We know that we will always face disappointment and discouragement but it is up to us how we choose to deal with those interruptions. Here’s to all the overcomers out there that want to make every moment of their dash an opportunity to learn and grow. How are you going to spend your moments represented by your dash?
Join me for the second Learning For Life virtual summit, Achieving Students Best Outcomes: Different Paths to Success March 31st and April 1st. Please take a moment to click this link to sign up for your COMPLIMENTARY ticket to the summit. Can’t wait to see you there!
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
― Frederick Douglass
The joy is in the journey!
Blessings and Peace,
Mary
