Time is at a premium these days but it has always been, we just never noticed and it is never going to change. The more you love and engage yourself in a meaningful life, and as the things you love to do multiply, they will steal your time as they push and pull you, vying wildly for your undivided attention. Then there are moments of crisis we all face, some more than others. Those sudden and intense happenings that bring us to our knees and grind our plans to a halt.
But what is a crisis?
It is a time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger. That is certainly the most common way to look at a crisis occurring in our life and to see it as nothing more than a sign of trouble, a period of time we must simply get out of, an unfortunate unwelcome state we must protect ourselves again. But the Ancient Greeks, from whom we’ve adopted the word, saw the word crisis as both a sign of danger and as an opportunity. They would encourage you to see any crisis in your personal or professional life as a welcome happenstance. To them the word crisis meant a moment of truth, a turning point, and an inevitable point of decision. That is why when you find yourself in a crisis, it’s important to remember that the end of one thing is always the beginning of another, that no failure is ever final, unless we choose for it to be final and we don’t rise again.
You cannot wish or artificially generate a crisis in your life. Well, I stand corrected, that’s not entirely true. Many unfortunate souls run around freaking out, over many things, they really have no business freaking out over. I stand corrected and clarify that people who want to better their life and are working hard towards generating a deeper meaning in what they do, those people, and hopefully you are one of them, do not wish or generate, and avoid taking on a crisis that doesn’t need undertaking.
When it comes to crisis, we have a two fold responsibility. First, we have to avoid the fake or made up crisis’ that our friends and family and coworkers inadvertently or purposely wish to ensnare us with. We have to mind our own business and not shoulder burdens and problems that are not ours to carry. We can by sympathetic and show empathy without the crisis becoming our battle field. Second, we have to face our own crisis with tremendous courage. We have to face it the best we can, and we should prepare for any such happening by becoming friends with good people, and arming our spirit with good ideas so we can persevere.
Time is at a premium and anything worthwhile will always come with a crisis. Your life will change when two fierce forces face each other and wage war against one other.
If you want a healthy mind, you have to avoid people who gossip. If you want a healthy body, you have to avoid fat in order not to become fat. And if you want to write, or paint, or sing, you have to write, and paint, and sing. You have to face challenges and steal time to do the things you love, because it will never be easy. Nobody said it would be easy.
Embrace your crisis, and don’t resist if you happen to find yourself in one. See all the dangers and fight courageously, but don’t forget about the opportunities you’re presented with. Don’t forget about the spoils of war. Stay strong and do things that you’ve never done before, and take solace in the fact that when you meet your crisis head on, you’ll experience things that you’ve never experienced before. And life will be much sweeter, and colourful, and worth waking up early for.
Cover photo generously provided by photographer Robert Metz via unsplash.com