I recently went on an outdoor adventure holiday where we planned to climb, swim, snorkel and surf. In the run up to the holiday I was excited to explore new places and get an adrenaline rush with extreme sports! Unfortunately on the first day of the holiday I injured myself to the point where I couldn’t walk and was told ‘No sports’ for the next month….
I’m a very active person and had a big national competition the following week, so when I realized I couldn’t compete I was upset, annoyed and frustrated with the situation (I’m only human!). But after that was quickly out of my system I made a conscious decision to accept the situation and move on with a positive attitude.
I really didn’t want to spend a week on holiday wallowing in my own self-pity, so I decided to make the most of my situation. I didn’t focus on what I couldn’t do (climb, swim, snorkel and surf), I choose to focus on what I could do… I enjoyed a week of reading, drawing, listening to music, taking photos, admiring the scenery and relaxing! I learnt that if you have a positive outlook in tough situations you can turn them around to your advantage and find opportunity lurking. In my case, I would never have given so much time to my art if it hadn’t been for my injury, I’ve never had such a creative flow before, so I found it to be a bit of a blessing in disguise! I also really enjoyed how relaxed the week was, we weren’t rushing anywhere, it was so peaceful, I suppose that's normally what you want from a holiday!
Our lives are the result of our choices. We’re all faced with problems or things that happen beyond our control and we can choose to let a problem bring us down, or we can choose to look for opportunities… Think about the last time you faced a problem and how you dealt with it. Did you stay positive, find opportunity and learn from it?
“There is little difference in people but that little difference makes big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W. Clement Stone
