A homeless man taps on your window while you are at a stoplight.  He asks for spare change to help him eat for the day.  What do you do?

It is an age-old question and one that is not as easy as it seems.  Of course we want to help.  But how can we be sure the money will go towards positive nourishment?  Personally, I go back and forth on the question.

A few months ago, the above scenario played out on my way home from work.  I had a couple crumpled up dollar bills stuffed into my coffee holder.  Why not? I rolled down the window and extended the money toward the disheveled man.

As he walked toward me, I made eye contact and asked: “You doing okay?”

I immediately regretted opening my mouth.  Of course he was not doing okay!  He was living in a cardboard box and all his earthy belongings were in a shopping cart!  Frankly, I expected abject anger or no response at all.

But his answer surprised me.

“Could be worse.  I’m just chillin’ at rock bottom for a little while.”

I smiled and went on my way.  But the significance of his words didn’t hit me until several minutes later.

Could be worse!  Wow!  Now that is some perspective under duress.  And there was inherent optimism in his belief he was only there “for a little while”.  Poetry!

The reality is that no matter how bad our situation is, it could always be worse!  And no matter how low we get, it is only for a little while.

And couldn’t we all benefit from that perspective in our work and personal lives.

Perspective is Key

We all hit a rough patch at some point in our careers.  Loss of revenue.  Loss of motivation. Loss of purpose.  Loss of conviction.  It is a natural part of the circle of life.  But in the midst of the malaise, it is difficult to maintain proper perspective.  It feels as if the losing streak will last forever.  It feels as if things couldn’t get worse.  But it won’t.  And they can.

We may lose a few clients.  It hurts. But we need to focus on keeping the ones we have.  We may lose significant market share in our business.  Devastating.  But we need to defend the share we have.  We may lose some playing time.  Ouch.  But we need to focus on our health and enjoying the time we have.  We may fail to connect with many of our students.  But we need to focus on the ones we are currently helping.

Amidst all the chaos, we need to step back for much needed perspective.   Difficult times can get better.  But the shifting sands of “rock” bottom can also get worse.  There is always something we can build on.  Resilience is born from focusing on what we have rather than what we have lost. 

We Need to Find Our Life Preservers

The same is true in our personal lives.  Damaged relationships.  Family strife.  Financial pressures.  It can feel like a giant whirlpool spinning us down the drain.  But we can’t resign ourselves to sinking to the bottom.  There are life preservers all around us!

We may have strained relationships, but there is always someone in our corner.  Our family may seem like it is in turmoil, but we can always find our rock to save us from rock bottom.   Money may be an issue, but at least there is some income.  Instead of fixating on the bottom, we need to shift our focus up toward hope.

There is no ceiling to our success.  No limits to what we can make of our lives.  But let’s not forget that rock bottom also has a basement.  We need to focus on what we have and start building up on that foundation.

Resilience is a Mindset

The homeless man was “chillin'” at rock bottom. I have no idea if a couple bucks improved his situation.  But he had perspective.  He realized his situation was temporary.  And he realized things could always be worse.  I like his chances. 

Resilience is a mindset.  Sometimes, we need to chill, step back, and take a break from the storm.  We have people who love us.  We have people who are counting on us.  We have so many positive things to offer this world.

So let’s get started.  It’s all about perspective.  Of course, things could get worse.  But we are resilient.  And we believe they will get better!

Until next week, keep smiling!