Self-evaluation time – In striving for achievements in the areas of health, wealth and promotion, you may have encountered some obstacles. Perhaps it was COVID, diagnosis of a chronic disease, the debilitating incident that sidelined your progress, a job loss, bankruptcy, closure of a business or even unexpectedly diverting the unexpected support of income that you saved for yourself to be given to a loved one that you believe needed it more than you did. Your initial action plan most likely consisted of levels of protections from “what-if’s” but the sheer force of the challenges you confronted were too great and broke through the levee of your dreams and sabotaged your goals unexpectedly.
The pressure from it all brings periods of sadness, doubt and even depression in your life and you just feel like your dreams and goals are no longer obtainable. Maybe now you’re thinking of giving up and running away from it all to isolate yourself from any more pain and disappointments.
If so, I assure you that you are not alone. I know exactly how you feel and have experienced levels of demoralization in my lifetime. I am not a fan of running away from anything in life and would rather face my troubles head-on. But, I do believe at times that it may be necessary to isolate yourself from the world to acquire wisdom, knowledge, understanding and peace. In other words, learn how to manage your current circumstances that will allow you to overcome your obstacles.
We don’t always have control over our life circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them and how we can find ways to transform what was meant for our detriment to instead benefit us. For example, Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years for his anti-apartheid, revolutionary political activities in South Africa. Yet, even under the brutal conditions he endured, Mandela did not allow his imprisonment to break his resolve or fill him with hatred. Instead he worked towards earning his degree from the University of London and allowed his spirit to be fueled by concentrating on thoughts of truth and reconciliation. Just four years after his 1990 release, Mandela moved from the jail cell to the presidential palace for five years, serving as South Africa’s first black president from 1994
to 1999.
The Bible has several figures who found ways to not only survive – but in some instances, thrive – while imprisoned or separated from everyone and everything that they knew. The apostle Paul wrote many of his epistles when he was imprisoned. Prisoner-prophet Jeremiah purchased land while in prison, a show of planning and optimism for Israel’s future. While exiled to the island of Patmos, Greece, the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation detailing what had been revealed to him of the end times. Joseph went from prisoner to prince, having been sold into slavery by his jealous brother and encountering hardships that could have broken him. Yet, he overcame those struggles and would eventually be assigned as second in command of Egypt.
Sir Isaac Newton, best known for his theory of the law of gravity, was quarantined for about two years on his family’s farm following an outbreak of the Bubonic plague at his college in Cambridge. Sir Newton spent that time reading, studying, and thinking alone when he embarked upon one of his greatest discoveries during a time that he would later describe as the most productive period of his life.
I know a woman who traveled on a Greyhound bus at age 16 from the South to New York City with a can of Pepsi, a bag of peanuts and a dream. She did domestic work for years while raising a family of nine as a single parent and progressed from those humble beginnings to eventually owning multiple homes and land with just a 9th grade education. She encountered numerous hardships and was isolated from family and friends and encountered levels of loneliness. Despite her life trials she was steadfast in purpose. She educated her family about life values and the importance of believing, planning and implementing actions to achieve goals. The woman I am describing is my mother.
I, too, have encountered obstacles and challenges throughout my lifetime that I was able to transcend as well and instead find myself thriving in multiple facets spiritually, mentally and financially. Almost losing my life in 2000 from a chronic illness, a job loss and business closure had me wanting to just give up, but fortunately, I managed through the struggles and forged ahead despite the suffering.
Maybe you are isolated or thinking about isolating yourself at this very moment because of life challenges. Embrace the decision to isolate with the sole purpose of eliminating distractions and determining your purpose. Perhaps there is something significant brewing in you right now. I encourage you to use this time to listen and tap into your inner power. Do not dwell exclusively on your problems, but focus on how you can turn things around for the better. I believe some growth comes from pain and suffering and that we need to be shaken and stirred to realize our purpose as we move towards greatness.
Realize that everyone is operating in imperfect conditions and that we all have deficiencies seen and unseen. It is time for you to dig in and start solving through isolation and reorganizing your life in ways to compensate for the temporary season of challenges that you're encountering.
Face your obstacles with courage and create and implement actions that will bridge areas of success in your life. Eliminate unnecessary distractions from your life like T.V. and social media and replace them with a book to gain knowledge, or paper and a pen to write a plan so you can see exactly what needs to be done to overcome. If you're lazy and an excuse maker then own it, but do something about your situation even if the steps you take are small. Your dreams and goals are still possible and you're more than capable of manifesting them.
Turn your potential into a reality regardless of what you’re dealing with today. Believe in what you’re doing and keep moving forward. Celebrate small milestones along the way but stay on track for the big win. If you try and fail then revise and try again and again and again until you achieve. If you fail 500 times then you have learned 500 ways on how to do it differently.
Again, I can identify with how you feel because that was my life too at one point until I made the decision to do something about my circumstances. I isolated myself, increased my belief and began living my life with dogmatic determination and purpose. You may believe that you’re the only person dealing with life obstacles, but you’re not. Allow yourself to mentally adjust how you see things and refocus. I know you can build a better future for yourself and I dare you to give it a try. What do you have to lose?
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