Tough times don’t last; tough people do

• Realise that this too shall pass
  During tough times it's hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel. Although you have to look for it and work toward it, it's there - be convinced of it.
   
• Avoid negative influences
  This includes the negative effects of the news, the toxic people you may have to associate with, drugs and alcohol. Seek out positive people and messages wherever you can.
   
• Express your goals and expectations in positive ways
  Focus on where you're going, not what you want to avoid.
   
• Know that giving in to despair and pessimism is human
  Even the most positive people succumb to despair and pessimism. It's the overcoming of those emotions, through action that lifts you up.
   
• Ask for help
  Realise that the highest order of relationships is interdependence. Most people are eager to give. You also can't assume others know what is going on in your head. Let them know by asking.
   
• Give unconditionally
  Nothing helps you get through tough times more than helping someone else get through their tough times. Giving comes in so many different ways. You’ll know it when you see it.
   
• Don't judge
  It's easy to fall into the trap of feeling envious of others who seem to be on top of the world. This is a destructive human emotion. Realise that every one of us carries our own burdens. So, who are we to judge another's load?
   
• Kick start every day
  Start your day with high energy, positive music – an uplifting song that makes you smile and gives you a blast of positive energy.
  Wake up with positive energy and a head start on positive emotions.
   
• Dream
  Dream, but don’t let dreams become your master. So, don't dream of things that never were or will never be.
   
  Dreams are a sign of hope - a precious commodity during tough times. Start and end every day with a success – your definition of success. The very act of getting up and getting going can be a success.
   
  Be convinced that every day holds the seeds of success - and look for them.
   
  Exercise is a great daily success - it's personal, requires action, and results in physical well being.
   
• Create rewards
  Rewards represent your recognition of a job well done. They don't have to be big. Examples include a day well spent or fears faced and overcome.
   
  Many leaders keep a journal of accomplishments and challenges to help them reward themselves.

• Remember, the repetition of uplifting thoughts is necessary to replace the negative thoughts that pull you down.
   
• Say “Yes” to life - You can drop an awful lot of excess baggage if you learn to play with life, instead of fighting it.
   
• Do your eyes reflect a loving heart? If not, learn to heal your inner hurts...and then the light will shine through. Brightening the world around you will definitely put a smile on your face.
   
• If the sign on your heart says "Welcome", the love will come pouring in from everywhere. Friendly people meet the nicest people.
   
• Do your best, but let go of the outcome. You have little control. Smile as you realise that this is a good thing, since controlling the outcome of all things is an awesome responsibility.
   
• Remove those imaginary "Please like me" stickers from your forehead and stick them on something useful instead - your mirror. Then, smile at the beautiful person the mirror reflects.
   
• We are all designed to use our inherent power. When we don't, we experience a sense of helplessness, paralysis and depression. It makes sense to get in touch with your power as soon as possible.
   
• The way you get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it! Always remember that pushing through fear is less frightening than living with the bigger underlying fear that comes from a feeling of helplessness! So always remember to "feel the fear and do it anyway"!
   
• If your friends constantly complain, the solution is simple; find new friends. You need friends who smile a lot.
   
• The loveliest thing you can do for yourself is to embrace the beauty of your humanness. So, stop trying to be perfect. It is very limiting and creates an intense feeling of being trapped.
   
• Don't dwell on setbacks when they occur (and they will!); rather, focus on every little sign of progress and smile.
   
• Make a list of all the characteristics you would like to find in a friend...and then begin developing them in yourself. The Law of Attraction will then bring you perfect friends.
   
• Like attracts like. Become what you want to attract. If you want to be appreciated, appreciate. If you want to be touched, touch. If you want to be loved, love.
   
• The realisation that "we are doing it to ourselves" is our biggest blessing. If we know we can create our own misery, it stands to reason we can also create our own joy.
   
• The only time when it is appropriate for you to have the last word is when the last word happens to be "I love you." One of the most precious gifts we can give to those we love is to let them know that they're OK in our book.
   
• Impatience is simply a way of beating yourself up. What's the rush? The world doesn't change over night, nor do we. If you ever find the voice of impatience creeping in, keep repeating these magical words to yourself: “One step at a time is enough for me.”
   
• Give yourself permission to be confused as you walk through life. It is through confusion that you finally come to clarity.
   
• Lighten up. People who have it together have a sense of humour and the ability to laugh, particularly at themselves.
   
• If you are seriously committed to following a path of growth, there is no such thing as a false start. Each step along the way shows you the way to where you really are supposed to be going. It may be a destination you never considered.
   
• It helps to remember that each decision is simply another opportunity to learn, despite the outcome. When you find the good in every decision you make, it's much easier to accept responsibility for making the decision in the first place.
   
• Sometimes doors are closed for us, giving us no choice but to move forward. Our most difficult times are blessings in disguise.
   
• The nature of growth is that it always pulls us forward. Imagine how much faster we'd grow, if we stopped dragging our feet,
   
• Having it all means accepting our choices and having no regrets about the road we didn't travel.
   
• Being positive is much more realistic than being negative. Most of what we worry about never happens, anyway.
   
• Why be miserable when you can be happy? Remember there are always gifts in a "bad" situation. Time spent on lamenting is time wasted. Rather spend it on finding the gifts.
   
• The journey inward to the best of who you are is much like the experience of climbing a mountain. Sometimes the climb is tough. But each time you stop to look around, the view becomes more and more spectacular. This propels you even higher.
   
• Trust your intuition. It is the carrier of messages from the all-knowing place of power and love you hold inside. That place of power and wisdom is always there.
   
• To “give” rather than “receive” makes us feel more secure. Giving is about letting go of the crouched, withholding person and standing tall with outstretched arms. How liberating.
   
• There's so much to do when you constantly shower love into the world. So, you will never be bored.
   
• When we all pull together at a time of crisis, we rise above the level of our individual differences and we stop competing. It is then that we understand the concept of “oneness” and what being part of "one human family" is all about.

“Rejoice about the sun, moon, flowers and sky. Rejoice about the food you have to eat. Rejoice about the body that houses your spirit. Rejoice about the fact that you can be a positive force in the world around you. Rejoice about the love that is around you.”

Useful links:

• Find out more about Next Generation Consultants
• Download a free copy of Susan Jeffers’ new booklet Why Affirmations Are So Powerful!

  Thank you to University of Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science for this article. Visit www.gibsreview.co.za