For my blogging topic, I chose to tackle the question “How do you pick yourself up when you are feeling down? What are some of your strategies and how have they specifically helped you? WHich underdog story are you most drawn to? What about the sotry touches you? How can it empower you today?” There is a lot to these questions and not really enough room here to answer them all but here it goes…
When I first looked at this question, the feeling down and underdog questions didn’t seem to relate and I wondered why they were put together. The more I thought out my answers, I saw how well they actually fit. That Chrissy (life coach) knows what she is doing.
First, whenever I feel down or get a case of the blues, I like to veg out and be alone for a while, maybe watch a mindless movie. Sometimes it is going for a walk outside and taking an hour to charge up again. Sometimes I daydream and imagine how great life would be if I was a millionaire and day dream about all the places I would go and who I would take with me to share the experience. And how much more fun life would be. Then, I eventually return to the same strategy that usually gets me out of my funk. If only…I had this, If only I got that….I would be happy. I feel like people are always saying it and sometimes I do too. Well, what DO I have is a lot of things to be thankful for. Maybe it sounds arrogant to be happy for all the things I have that other people don’t, but it helps me put my life in perspective how great I really have it. I start counting blessings and things to be grateful for.
I have a loving family that I am extremely close with. I have an amazing fiance with a loveable family. I have wonderful friends and great co-workers. My family is healthy and so am I. I love my job. On a materialistic level, how many people in the world own a house, are lucky enough to have more than enough food, two cars in the driveway, running water, new clothes, and live in a safe environment that doesnt have to worry about dealing with war in my own backyard like so many people do. Since I teach history, I look back on what rights I have as an american and as a woman today that people never had through out history. Even the wealthiest, most privledge classes didn’t have all the perks and opportunities of the average person today. Hot running water? Totally taken for granted! I feel lucky to be living in the time I’m living, and living where I am living. It might seem a little hokey, but it puts things in perspective about how good I really have it. So when I get the case of blues I shake myself out of it by telling me things could be a heck of a lot worse, a lot of people have it a heck of a lot worse, and they might be day dreaming about all the things I have, and are often times taking it for granted. How many people in the world today or through out history want nothing more than their family to be safe, a house to call their own, or to have enough food on the table. Then I feel guilty about wanting much more than that.
Phew…briefly…onto the underdog portion…
I see that the underdog portion relates to getting the blues, because most underdog stories can get anyone out of a funk and make them feel inspired, energized and ready to take on the world. Also, underdog stories are about a person dealing with overwhelming odds. but they have the confidence to try and are optimistic that anything can happen… I had a hard time thinking of any particular story, but I am a sucker for most underdog stories. Whether it is a sports story like Miracle or Seabiscuit, or a story about a regular person taking on an overhwhelming task or quest( or a hobbit like Frodo), I love the rush I get seeing the person succeed. It makes me and I am sure most audieces the feeling that I too, can do anything if I put my mind to it. Usually the euphoric feeling fades as I leave the theater, but everynow and then, it can inspire me to try something new, or give something a shot and just see what happens. You never know. I also like the saying of a hero is an ordinary person placed in extra-ordinary circumstances. That all those famous people in history where just regular people that dealt with something that was handed to them and they rose to the challenge.
ok, I have four minutes to post…enough writing for this week!
