Embrace the Hard Times, They’re the Best Part

Glen / 20 Comments / December 22nd, 2008 / Subscribe via RSS

It’s exactly 10:01pm on Sunday night and I’ve just started writing my first blog post for the weekend. Usually, by this time, I’ve got about 5 written and don’t have to do much writing over the week which is convenient due to the fact that I have a full-time job.

Not this week though, I think it’s because I’ve got a lot of my mind. Luckily, I know how to deal with that. Sometimes it’s good to forget about things, other times it’s good to work them out. There’s been one thing that has been getting to me recently: the fact that I’m about to leave Cape Town.

Photo Credit

If you haven’t read my about page then I’ll give you a quick background update. In 2007 I made the crazy decision to quit college and my job, leave behind my friends and family in England and move to Cape Town, South Africa where I didn’t know one single person. I came here for a 3 month trial at an internet marketing company and fell in love with the place and the people. After my trial, I signed a contract to stay here for another year.

Now…my year is up. I’m going to be spending Christmas and New Year over here in South Africa but once that is done I’ll be back in the UK, my ‘home’. The thing is, I really don’t want to be in the UK, I’m not a fan of the way of life, the weather, the activities and the way people get along, it just doesn’t feel like me. I would much rather be here in Cape Town then spend any time back home.

So why am I leaving?

It must seem obvious that I should stay on in Cape Town, but things aren’t always as they seem. It’s not like I don’t have the opportunity, I have been offered to extend my contract and could easily renew the lease on my apartment. However, to me, that is the easy way out.

Although going back to the UK doesn’t excite me that much, it’s the right thing to do for me now, or at least that’s what I’m trying to convince myself. I’m making enough money online to not need another job again and I want to take full advantage of that. If I stay in South Africa it’s not because I’ll be missing my job, it’s because:

• I’ll be missing the lifestyle I have over here
• I’ll be missing all the friends I’ve made
• I’ll miss insulting people in Afrikaans
• It will be the end of a huge chapter in my life

Sometimes I feel like I’m too young to even be having all these thoughts, sometimes it just feels like too much. Then when I realise that I’m letting things get to me, I sit back, and accept what is.

2008 has been by far the best year of my life, despite having a knife up against my chest while being mugged on two occasions; I wouldn’t change my time here for anything. I’ve met the most amazing people, had the most amazing experiences and I have enough stories to keep my grand children bored for years. I guess it kind of scares me that all this is going to change. I won’t be living on my own, I probably won’t be having as many crazy stories and I’m sure life won’t feel as laid back.

Embracing the Tough Times

The reason I’ve just went so much into my ‘story’ right now is because I want you to understand where I’m coming from. I want you to see what goes on in the mind of a 19 year old with constantly changing realities. I want you to know that when you have your own tough times, they are probably things that other people have gone through, and they have gotten through them.

BUT THAT’S THE THING – We all see our story, our problems, our hard times as life changing, as world shattering and reality breaking. If it’s happening to all of us then it’s happening to none of us. We all think that our problems are THE PROBLEM, that they are holding us back and we are suffering because of them.

I want you to take a look at the map below and work out where you are, just look at it. Now realise you are actually on the map (unless you’re in Australia), you were actually on there when this picture was taken from space. Do you see yourself? Me neither.

You can find your country, but you’ll never be able to see where you were. Yet when we are going through the tough times we think our problems are so huge and so soul-destroying that we just can’t deal with them. We think they are the biggest problem there is to have. Guess what? All of the other people that you can’t see have gone through the same situation, the same thought process. Some people turn to suicide, some sink into depression, some move on and others read blogs for inspiration (thank you).

I’m glad that there is a huge challenge in front of me, I’m glad it worries me, but I’m even happier that I know it worries me. If you are aware of an emotion it has no control over you, your awareness (consciousness) makes it irrelevant, it’s just a word we say or chemical reaction inside your body. I’m ready to face what is ahead of me, because that is what is.

Think about this:

• If I’d never moved to South Africa I would have never met all these amazing people
• If I was too scared to leave all my friends behind then I wouldn’t know what I know today
• If I had of stuck in at college which I completely hated then I wouldn’t be in a position of financial abundance right now, or at least in the very near future

Challenges are good, tough times are great, embrace them. The tough times are what we remember the most and the ones that are most likely to change your life for the better. I’m scared to be leaving South Africa, I’m scared to see what is ahead of me, but that’s OK. I’m ready for it, embrace the tough times and don’t let anything hold you back. Do what is right for you.

For me, I can’t let my feelings of people or things I’m going to miss get in the way of a future full of experiences and a thousand more adventures. If I had of done that in the UK, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to miss the things I say I’m going to miss now. If you are constantly looking for other people or more ‘things’ to keep you fulfilled then guess what, you’re never going to feel fulfilled for long.

In this situation, it’s all about going back to an abundance mindset. Realise there are new journeys to be had, new people to meet, new adventures to experience. Embrace whatever tough time you are in whether it is moving country, breaking up with your partner or being without a job. See how strong you are when you come out of the other side, it’s refreshing.

It’s now 10:28pm, I guess it’s easy to write quickly when the words are coming from your heart. How about you write down your feelings and just accept them for what they are, be happy for a challenge that is going to make you stronger, more grounded and mature. Embrace it, really give whatever it is your full presence, your whole being.

Your tough times are only as tough as you make them, don’t resist what is going on, just accept the journey and you’ll flourish because of it. I hope you all have an amazing Christmas, for me it will be the first without my family (another challenge to embrace), if you are struggling for funds this year then make the best of what you have, because there’s always someone worse off. If you have the technology to read this post, you’re ahead of the curve.

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