How To Face Difficult Circumstances

Have you ever felt like the odds are against you and there is no way through your present difficulties?

 

"Difficulties are just things to overcome." - Ernest Shackleton.

 

One of the worst things we can do is over-focus on the obstacle itself rather than on our goal, and how we might get through, over or around the obstacle.

 

Ernest Shackleton had planned to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. His ship became completely trapped in ice.

 

The expedition was stuck and could not go forward or back.

 

Many times, the circumstances seemed insurmountable, and their chance of survival almost non-existent.

 

When things went from bad to worse. Shackleton didn't waste time railing against the new obstacle thrusting itself in his path.

 

His focus was not on what he could not do.

 

It was on action, on what they needed to do to survive, to overcome their current difficulties, and what to do next...

 

...and it was also on his own attitude, and the attitude of his men.

 

He was a role-model, shouldering the same chores as his men.

 

Guarding against idleness and pessimism.

 

They all had to show up in the midst of their adverse circumstances and keep on task.

 

They could not afford distraction, division, or delayed action, and did not give in to despair.

 

In moments of crisis, there is a natural dip as we adjust to the new circumstances and find our footing.

 

For those who find their footing, crisis becomes an opportunity for growth.

 

Others withdraw into their preferred coping mechanism if there is no immediate threat to deal with.

 

That may be OK for a while, but if you keep that downward trend, the gap widens significantly between those on a downward trend and those who have managed to find or create a footing and are growing to meet the challenge.

 

The world needs us, needs you, on your A-Game right now.

 

One thing that has become clear over the last few months is that things can change quickly, and that nothing should be taken for granted.

 

It is important for all of us to up our game...

 

To use whatever time we have to develop new skills, to take our performance to the next level.

 

We are going to have to do more with less, and if we are to thrive, do it well.
Expect change!

 

If you think things are hard now, they can always get harder if we don't do something about it now.

 

Let's be conscious of how we show up through the crisis this week, and how we handle next week's crisis.

 

Motivation follows momentum.

 

What actions are you taking to show up as your better self in this unprecedented time?

 

What skills are you working on developing that will help you through this and set you up to be in a better position as we come out of it?

Inspirational Quotes

 

When in the midst of difficult circumstances, we may find our path ahead blocked by some unforeseen obstacle. Sometimes the obstacle even seems to grow as we look at it.

 

"Difficulties are just things to overcome." - Ernest Shackleton.

 

One of the worst things we can do is over-focus on the obstacle itself rather than on our goal, and how we might get through, over or around the obstacle.

...or we may even need to re-evaluate and temporarily reset our goal to become one of dealing with, growing through and getting beyond our current circumstances before returning to the pursuit of our former goal if it is still relevant at that time.

 

Ernest Shackleton was an Antarctic explorer who lead the British Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition which left England in 1914. He had planned to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. His ship, The Endurance, encountered ice farther north than expected and was eventually completely trapped in ice.

The expedition was stuck and could not go forward or back.

 

The circumstances were grave. The ship could not be dug free from the ice. Shackleton and his crew hunted penguins for food and waited, hoping that the ship would be released from the ice when it thawed in the spring. After 10 months the ship had to be abandoned and was crushed by the ice.

The team attempted to cross 250 miles of ice towards their cachet of stores on Paulet Island. After numerous failed attempts, Shackleton set up Patience Camp and waited for the ice to drift closer. Even at 60 miles from Paulet Island, the ice was still impassable.

Once their camp drifted close enough to the edge of the flow for the ice to break up, Shackleton and his crew set off in lifeboats and made the perilous journey to Elephant Island, and inhospitable ice covered mountainous island far from any shipping routes.

One lifeboat was cannibalized to repair the other and six men made the 720 nautical mile journey to South Georgia whaling station. With only a slim chance of success they reached the southern shore of the island and had to traverse 32 miles of dangerous mountain terrain to reach the whaling station on the other side.

 

Many times, the circumstances seemed insurmountable, and their chance of survival almost non-existent.

When things went from bad to worse. Shackleton didn't waste time railing against the new obstacle thrusting itself in his path.

Throughout this time he appeared to spend little time ruminating on the cause of their predicament, or beating himself up for the decision to forge ahead despite the whaling station warnings of ice further north than usual this time of year.

 

His focus was not on what he could not do.

It was on what they could do that at least had a chance for making it through.

It was on action, on what they needed to do to survive, to overcome their current difficulties, and what to do next...

...and it was also on his own attitude, and the attitude of his men.

 

He was a role-model, shouldering the same chores as his men.

Guarding against idleness and pessimism.

Treating all of his men equally, and taking particular care of those struggling to cope.

 

They all had to show up in the midst of their adverse circumstances and keep on task.

They could not afford distraction and did not give in to despair.

 

In moments of crisis, there is a natural dip as we adjust to the new circumstances and find our footing.

For those who find their footing, crisis becomes an opportunity for growth.

 

Others withdraw into their preferred coping mechanism if there is no immediate threat to deal with.

That may be OK for a while, but if you keep that downward trend, the gap widens significantly between those on a downward trend and those who have managed to find or create a footing and are growing to meet the challenge.

 

The world needs us, needs you, on your A-Game right now.

If you have paying work, that is a blessing. Many suddenly do not.

 

One thing that has become clear over the last few months is that things can change quickly, and that nothing should be taken for granted.

 

It is important for all of us to up our game...

To use whatever time we have to develop new skills, take our performance to the next level.

We are going to have to do more with less, and if we are to thrive, do it well.

 

Expect change!

If you think things are hard now, they can always get harder if we don't do something about it now.

 

Let's be conscious of how we show up through the crisis this week, and how we handle next week's crisis.

 

Spending much time wondering why the obstacle is there, or who is to blame for our current situation (even if it is ourselves) is counter-productive.

Delay saps motivation and can promote pessimism. It can also allow circumstances to deteriorate into something even more difficult.

 

Motivation follows momentum.

 

Here are a couple of questions that you can ask yourself that may help with momentum and motivation.

 

What actions are you taking to show up as your better self in this unprecedented time?

 

What skills are you working on developing that will help you through this and set you up to be in a better position as we come out of it?