How Troubled Economic Times Can Lead to Personal Growth

Note: This is a guest post by David B. Bohl of SlowdownFAST.

It’s hard to pick up a newspaper or watch television nowadays without hearing about mortgages woes, a weak economy, and rising energy prices. It can be a lot of news to digest, even for those on firm financial ground.

Yet even in times when worries about a possible recession and job cuts fill our daily news feeds, we can rise above the bad news and uncertainty to help grow ourselves personally by learning how to deal with adversity and turn these life-draining problems into life-building exercises. In all of our lives we will face hardships and times where it seems tomorrow doesn’t look as bright as today, but by using these hardships and worries as learning exercises, we can come out stronger and better able to face whatever tomorrow may bring.

Facing the unknown

Adversity is the crop from which personal growth can be harvested. Think back in your life when you faced uncertainty in your life, or conditions were less than optimal for achieving your goals. Did you resolve to find a solution, or did you just retreat into yourself and hope for the best? Often times we are afraid to face uncertain times because as humans, we are afraid of the unknown.

Yet, every day we face unknowns that we have no control over. We could have a good job that may disappear tomorrow when our company downsizes or moves its operations elsewhere. We may think we are set financially, only to have an elderly parent or loved one need critical health care that puts us into financial distress. Both of these events and many more like them, while unfortunate, can be used to help us realize who we are and make us stronger even as we stare deep into the unknown.

Are you taking steps now to be ready to face the uncertainty that may come into your life tomorrow? As scary as it may seem to lose a job, we can be better prepared for it by making sure we continue to follow our goals and dreams. If you are passionate about a field, or the career you are currently in, resolve to yourself to never stop learning. Keep on top of changes in your industry and field of interest and become known to those around you as a subject matter expert. Take every opportunity to continue your education and network with your peers. If a new opportunity comes your way, evaluate it carefully to determine how it aligns with your life goals, your family, and your career goals. Sometimes, even when things are good, we should never pass up an opportunity to make it even better – don’t be afraid to take a chance!

Forming tighter bonds

Sometimes we don’t have time to prepare when adversity hits us. It is during these times that we can really lose sights of our dreams, goals, and aspirations in life. Yet, impossible as it may sound, we can learn and grow from these experiences. If tomorrow you were to find out that your significant other, parent, or other loved one needed immediate medical care and that it would cost above or beyond what their insurance would cover – or worse yet, they have no insurance – what would you do? There is no doubt that all of us would worry – distressing is part of life and part of what makes us human.

Once we move past the worrying stage, what can we do to learn and grow from this to make ourselves, and even our family, come away from the situation having grown a little? We might turn to communities of others like ourselves that are facing similar situations, or even facing the same healthcare issue. In times of stress, a community can ban together to let you know that you will make it through this.

We may find ourselves forming tighter bonds with our family – or “rallying the troops” to support the family in times of crisis. You will be amazed at how a family, even one that has been distant in the past, can pull together when a tough situation presents itself. That family can grow together, learn together, and come up with solutions together. In the end, the family will be stronger than it was going into the situation and better prepared to tackle the next obstacle life may present.

When dark clouds seem to be circling, never underestimate the power of the human spirit. You and I are ingenious creatures and most of us can perform extremely well under pressure – in fact, some of us thrive under it. Use these times of uncertainty to talk with your family, seek out support groups, and work on defining your life goals. Don’t be afraid to talk about it with others you trust and respect and get their input and ideas. Tomorrow may bring adversity into your life, but by facing it head on you can make sure that its stay is short lived.

David B. Bohl writes about living your vision at his own blog: SlowdownFAST. If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, or read one of his most popular articles, Conflicting Desires: Knowing That We Have Enough vs. Always Wanting to Better Ourselves.

Image by notsogoodphotography.

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