When life gets difficult or troublesome the best thing we can do is to step back and put things into proper perspective.  You can’t get hyper-focused on what is going wrong in the moment or it will feel like your entire world is crashing down whenever something difficult happens.  I like to think of it as keeping an eternal perspective where I try to look at hard situations against the eternal scheme of things.  When you keep the totality of this life in perspective and take into account the perspective of life before coming to earth and what life will be after leaving this earth someday – when you look at hard times against the entire timeline of life and beyond, it will help you see how miniscule some problems really are and it will help highlight those things that really will matter most in the long run.  In the eternal scheme of things it is our families, our loved ones, and our friendships with others that will matter most.  It is not the car we drive, or the title we hold at work, or the money in our bank account that will matter in the eternal scheme of things.  It is our relationships with others and the service we gave in this life.  The other stuff is just that, stuff. Keeping an eternal perspective will help minimize the little troubles and help you endure the larger troubles well.

I love this little story on perspective:

“When I was young I loved playing sports, and I have many fond memories of those days. But not all of them are pleasant. I remember one day after my football team lost a tough game, I came home feeling discouraged. My mother was there. She listened to my sad story. She taught her children to trust in themselves and each other, not blame others for their misfortunes, and give their best effort in everything they attempted.

When we fell down, she expected us to pick ourselves up and get going again. So the advice my mother gave to me then wasn’t altogether unexpected. It has stayed with me all my life.

“Joseph,” she said, “come what may, and love it.”

I have often reflected on that counsel.

I think she may have meant that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.”  – Joseph Worthlin

Looking at each difficult time you go through as a learning experience and trying hard to recognize those lessons as you are going through them is a great way to help you stay focused on the positives that are coming from each challenge you face.

Another thing that will help is to look for the humor in bad situations and learn to laugh about things.  Finding something to laugh about in a bad situation will immediately make it feel less painful and more tolerable. Not only that but it will life the spirits of everyone around you in the process.  Laughter truly is the best medicine and it is a great way to keep life in perspective.

Finally, try to be of good cheer.  Be happy. Smile. Count the blessings you do have in your life and be grateful for them. Then count the troubles you have in your life and be grateful for them too because they are helping make you into the best you possible. Keep an eternal perspective and remember that LIFE IS GOOD!

~Amy