Tough Stuff

I've written about adjusting on the fly before.  It seems like the theme of the last few weeks for a handful of people I know is "sometimes things don't go according to plan."

... And that's OK.

A surprising number of my friends and family have been going through really difficult things recently. As someone who has been thrown a couple of crazy life curve balls in the last few years, I am really feeling for them right now. Tough stuff just sucks all around, and I hope I can be a good friend.

I don't have all the answers, but here are some things I've learned from going through tough stuff:

1. You will become more emotionally resilient as a result of this...  if you allow yourself to do so.  You can either chose to let the situation control you and your mental state, or you can control it. You are ultimately responsible for your own happiness, and need to be empowered to do what needs to be done to keep yourself happy and emotionally healthy.
2. The situation could be a lot worse.  If you're reading this blog, your life is probably relatively good compared to most people on the planet. Keep things in perspective. 
3. Someone else has gone through what you're going through.  Ok, maybe no one has gone through exactly what you've gone through, but there are a lot of people out there so chances are that someone has had a similar situation. Don't be afraid to talk things out with your friends -- it's really helpful, and you'll be surprised to learn how many people go through similar things and just don't talk about it. 
4. No one has a perfect life.