Oh the roller coaster ride we call life. The ups and downs. The twists and turns. How happy and joyful. How sad and depressing. And everything in between….
I feel like I have entered a very interesting time in my life. A time where I am more confident then ever about my place in life, my abilities, my goals, and my dreams. Yet more uncertain then ever of what the best way is to accomplish those things.
Just when you are making some headway life throws you a curve ball. And in no place is the analogy more relevant then our current bathroom remodel project.
This remodel project has been on our minds nearly from the time we bought the house almost 5 years ago. We started this project 5 months ago when we got the urge to rip everything out of the old bathroom. Oh how us guys love to flex our muscles in some righteous demolition. Especially knowing something much better is coming along.
So we completed the demolition in the spring and allowed nearly the whole summer to go by as we were on vacation or enjoying the nice weather outside. Finally as cold weather approached and September loomed large on the horizon we decided to get started on the actual building part of the project.
We bought our supplies and started to put up the basic framing needed to support the room. As amateur builders go we knew just enough to be able to accomplish the task, but slowly, and with much thought and questioning of what more experienced people knew. Things would run smoothly and then we would run into something we didn’t know how to accomplish. We used up a lot of time figuring out the best way to do things. And a lot of time spent running to the store to get parts we didn’t realize we needed.
Next came the plumbing and electrical work. Same deal. Go until you can’t go no more. Then find out from the experts what we needed to do next. Or go to the store to get the things we didn’t realize we needed. All in all, a great way to learn a lot very quickly, but not the best way to spend your evenings and weekends.
But isn’t that how life is, and isn’t that how we grow. Go until we run into something we haven’t encountered before then learn how to beat it?
In thinking about this, I’ve learned some things that I would like to share…
1. Take it a day at a time. Yes, things always seem to take more time then you realize. Especially when you haven’t done exactly that thing before. Enjoy the process. Realize you are building both something valuable and your knowledge for the future.
2. Good things come to those that wait. Our kitchen remodel was the same way. It took months before it was done. Now that it is finished we are enjoying the fruits of our labors. We spend a whole lot more time in our kitchen because it is so much more enjoyable.
3. Problems will arise, yet nearly everything is solvable. Don’t act like something is impossible just because you lack the desire to beat it. People that have come before you have accomplished nearly everything you plan to set out to do in this life. Anything you want to do from raising a child to flying a plane can be learned. Knowledge and experience is everywhere, you just need to look for it.
4. Everything is an opportunity. It may be in disguise but everything that challenges you will make you better. Its a real promise for all your hard work.
5. Life is short, so play hard. Life is way too short to get all caught up and mixed up in the twists and turns of it all. Focus your energies and play hard. Most of us have heard the analogy about how concentrated light makes a powerful laser. You be the same way. Focus yourself and play hard. Life is too short my friend…
How else do you guys handle the twists and turns of life? I would love to hear about it in the comment section below….
I really like your #4 – everything is an opportunity. I think we seriously take the effort to find ways – small or big – we realize that opportunity is everywhere.
To add on to #5, I think living in the moment is really important. Be grateful for those small moments in life because they turn out to be something really special later on. As you say, life is too short so play hard!
.-= Tristan Lee´s last blog ..Respect: Follow Through With Your Words =-.
I am a firm believer that those who can handle’s life’s curve-balls the best, are the ones who will likely succeed the most. Because its easy to do what you’ve always done, but throw a wrench in your life, and sometimes it can really break down even the strongest of people.
As far as how I handle it.. I just don’t give up, and continue to push threw it.
Till then,
Jean
i just shove it back and don’t think about it….it will drive you insane if you try to deal with all of it. i have my own life to deal with and right now that is a handful….so you see there is no room for anything else.
Yup,
You always need to plan for some curve balls as they are invevitable. You will recover if you have the will to do so.
.-= HGH 2´s last blog ..Sytropin Review =-.
To add on to #5, I think living in the moment is really important. Be grateful for those small moments in life because they turn out to be something really special later on. As you say, life is too short so play hard!
As far as how I handle it.. I just don’t give up, and continue to push threw it.
Till then,
I have my own life to deal with and right now that is a handful….so you see there is no room for anything else.
I think this is a very interesting view about life.
“Life is like a roller coaster”.
I agree, definitely we should compare life as a roller coaster.
We do have ours ups and downs in life; each day is a different thrill.
Good days…and bad days… But no matter how bad and hard it is; never give up.
Yes my friend, life is full of surprises. There are small events that change our lives Forever.
We do experience some part of process of life when we do ride the “roller coaster”.
WOO HOO… WHAT A RIDE!
Good post. Life definitely has its ups and downs. You can’t expect things to go right every time. You have to not let things stress you out too much. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath or take a walk to cool off. If you dwell too much on problems, they take over your life.
Amazing as always 🙂
Life is not always easy and you have to be able to take a smack in the face every now and again. Often it comes when you least expect it. But without the bitter experiences, the sweet wouldn’t taste so good.
.-= PSP Go´s last blog ..Buy Sony PSP Go – Quick Buying Q&A =-.
@PSP Go, I really like that line that you said at the end of your comment, “without the bitter experiences, the sweet wouldn’t taste so good” that is such a powerful sentence you just said!
Till then,
Jean
Great mate! I really enjoy and espect your experience.Thank you sooooooooooooooooo much for sharing these this.
.-= Home made hands job´s last blog ..Handmade Christmas Gifts for your dear ones =-.
You can get promotions and move up your career card, getting a higher salary. Also, the score cards are for keeping track of which houses you have, if you’re married, have kids, etc.
.-= Home made hands job´s last blog ..Handmade Christmas Gifts for your dear ones =-.
Our thoughts makes difference, depends on people how they takes problems positively or negatively. life is never easy we have to learn handle twits of life with maturity.
DIY is awesome. I am an extremely impatient person, and doing things for myself have teached me a lot of patience. So not only did I (and still do) get things done at the best price possible, but I also learnt how to achieve more inner peace and tranquility by doing things this way.
I feel the more experience one acquires, on as many different topics and levels as possible, the more complete your journey will be at the end of the day. Sort of like sampling as many different foodstuffs as possible, rather than living on steak and potatoes every single day….
I have my own life to deal with and right now that is a handful….so you see there is no room for anything else.
Great post – one of my goals is to build my own cabin home one of the days!
It is impossible to say: “I can handle this or that” because we never know what is waiting for us around the corner. As we are swimming along the river of time there is no turning back and saying anything for sure comes with some risk.
Great post man – very inspirational!
I think there is no ultimate solution for our everyday problems and those that are coming from behind, sneaking on us and trying to bite where hurts the most. Some things just happen to everyone, and there is nothing we could do about it.
I browse some writings from your blog, also have saved your feed during the previous weeks and I found a constant improvement of quality.
Great job.
Interesting point executive. As they say, many things are in the hands of fate but still, it could also be said that we shape fate as we go along? 😉
Till then,
Jean
Unlike Larry David’s perception of life, I believe looking at the glass as it is half full is very crucial. I had many down points in my life, however positive thinking got me out of them every single time.
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