In the face of challenges

November 25, 2008
I am going through some interesting challenges right now. But I have lived long enough to finally realize that where there is water there will be waves and where there is life there will be challenges.

Not even a leaf’s life is exempt from this. But somehow the leaf manages to stay on the branch except for when the force it has to resist overtakes it. So, in my case, too, this would be the ultimate challenge. Though I wish that I’d know in advance what my next challenge would be or when my present ones will find an answer, I’ve also come to realize that as long as I know how to manage them without breaking down I’m one step ahead of my challenges.

A psychiatrist-friend after listening to my current challenges and also having first hand direct knowledge of them writes, "I admire your strength for being able to persevere in the midst of such difficulties. Please continue to be mindful of your own sanity :-), and know that I am always here if you ever need someone to talk to."

I chuckle not because his admiration is not sincere (though in my case, being admired for helping others deal with their challenges is what I’d consider truly worth admiring) but because these words also convey pity even if only unintentionally. For whatever reason, pity to me is, well, pitiable. I don’t handle pity too well.

However, going beyond my initial reaction along these lines, I do ponder how I have stood my ground like that struggling leaf against strong winds trying to take it down. Now, if I analyze the intent of the wind’s blowing I conclude that it’s not its intention to take down the leaf but just its response to atmospheric pressures. This is how our own challenges too brew.

Returning to how I have stood my ground, I decide that for me to be strong not just for myself but also for those who depend on me for their own sanity, too, I must see myself as an instrument that must keep fit at all times. Like a musical instrument that must be kept tuned to produce pleasant notes, I need to keep myself tuned.

To accomplish this, one of the firsts in my life was to enroll in a gym and this is my fourth year (just recently I upgraded to a high-impact gym closer to home). Then look at all the things I enjoy doing and begin to fine tune each one of them and then share it with whoever else might share these interests. The synergy that forms by surrounding oneself with people with common goals, value systems and similar styles of execution is like adding one and one and getting not 2 but eleven. 1+1=11!

Finally, I also added 15 minutes of meditation (read October 27 post) to my day and this too has added to keeping myself tuned.

When we are stressed out (many of the stresses can be avoided but then again life is filled with curve balls and thus one can never predict what life has in store), it’s very easy to feel lost. Some even lose control and end up doing extremely untoward things. So, instead of waiting till stress enters our life and then try to deal with it, and often fail, the better thing to do would be to be ready to deal with it at all times.

Stay physically fit, follow your passions and throw in a little meditation. This is the recipe that has worked for me through all the recent storms in my life. Prior to discovering this recipe, the external storms produced even stronger inner storms, but now at least the inner ones are kept at bay. And, this is no small victory.

Carpe Diem!
Ro.