Have Yourself a Robert Schuller Christmas

“Tough times don’t last. But tough people do.” – Robert Schuller

Last week Northeast Ohio finally succumbed to the seasonal weather. Over a short period of time, 4 inches of the white stuff managed to fall and blanket the ground. Additionally, the temperature plummeted.

Less than 48 hours later it was a completely different scene. Not a flurry was to be seen. Green grass, scattered with leaves, and a partially sunlit sky. Any evidence of a winter storm was nonexistent.

My how quickly things can change.

It got me thinking how the weather can be somewhat akin to the adversity we face in our lives. At times we might feel as if things are too much, pressing and wearing us down, with no end in sight. And then a quick minute later we find ourselves in a completely different situation and mindset. What may have seemed insurmountable one second, now seems like a distant memory.

Some might call this bipolar.

I call it a fact of life.

Inevitably, it happens to all of us, and it happens often. We all experience good days and bad days, sometimes without any meaningful explanation of their random order. There are certainly times when the challenges at hand require a significant amount of mental fortitude and perseverance to push on through. At times it’s much easier to accept the role of victim rather than believe we are the master of our destiny.

However, we all are the masters of our own attitudes.

Tough times will find us. No one is immune from life’s adversities. However, as we all know, things do change, often for the better or at least for the more manageable. Sometimes it is a direct result of our deliberate actions, while other times it may simply be a result of the passage of time.

And then lo and behold, another storm finds us.

We will all be forced to weather (pun intended) several storms throughout our lives. Fortunately, we have the ability to adopt the proper mindset to confront those storms. We just need to make the active decision to do so. It’s not always easy, but I’d venture to say it’s always better than the alternative of focusing on the dark clouds.

It’s Christmastime. A time for God, family and friends. A time for love. It can be a difficult time for those who have lost one’s they’ve loved. All the more reason to appreciate the ones we still have. The ones who may help us through those storms. The ones whom we may help through their storms.

Merry Christmas and Happy (safe) Holidays!

Stand Strong!

Scott

PS – if you’re looking for a last-minute tax reduction, please consider a donation to Getting Back Up. Even if you don’t need the deduction, you’ll still feel good helping someone else weather their own storm.