Having the ability to pick yourself up during hard times is an essential skill for success. Everybody hurts. We all go through difficult periods. The key is to have a list of actions you can take to lift yourself up so that you can get back in the game! Here are 7 ways.
1. Exercise
Not only will exercise improve your mood through the release of endorphins, but it will also improve your strength, appearance, and general health. (Endorphins are brain chemicals that are released when you do vigorous exercise. They give you a feeling of well-being or euphoria.)
If you don’t have your health, strength, and energy you will not be able to do the work necessary to improve your circumstances. As you make progress in your exercise regimen and see the results in the mirror, you will start to feel better about your life.
Exercise, and getting yourself fit, are areas that you can control regardless of what is going on around you. Even if you don’t have any other positive thing happening now, you can take advantage of this period of despair and use it as motivation to get yourself in the best shape of your life!
This is one of the most reliable ways to pick yourself up.
2. Get Organized
Getting organized can improve not only your daily efficiency, but it can also improve the pride that you have for your home or office and for yourself. Consider all the areas in your home or office that need to get organized and just dive in.
Start by going through everything and deciding what to throw in the trash, give away, clean up, refill, store, and organize. Organization means putting things together in logical groups and locations that make it the most efficient and easiest for you to access. Items that you don’t use regularly should be placed further away from your primary work area and items that you use more often should be placed within arm’s reach. Next, go to an office supply store and get some organization equipment like storage boxes, file containers, hanging files, file tabs, folders, and whatever else you think you might need. To get an idea of what’s available and to save yourself some time, you might shop online.
Depending on your situation, this process may take several days. Don’t stop after just one room, like your office. Get everything organized! That means all your closets, drawers, and cabinets in your bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and yes, your garage too! As you work, you might discover that you have enough stuff that you want to get rid of to have a garage sale and make some money!
Once you’re done you’ll have a sense of pride in your accomplishment, you’ll enjoy the organization, and you’ll pick yourself up in the process.
3. Get Some Inspirational Music
Search online
I find New Age music by performers like Enya
Once you have a collection of inspirational music, use it at strategic times such as while you’re exercising, getting organized, doing your work, and most importantly when you need to pick yourself up and get into an inspired state.
4. Get Some Inspirational Books
Go to Amazon.com
Consider getting the audio version of the books you select so that you can listen to them during your commute, exercise, work, and other activities.
Having a few inspirational books nearby is a quick way to pick yourself up.
5. Do Something for Someone Else
We have all heard this one. I can tell you from experience that it works in ways that you could never predict. Doing something for someone else helps you forget about your own problems and it provides an internal fulfillment that cannot be derived from any other activity that I’ve found. This is especially true if you are helping someone who is much less fortunate than you are.
One year on Thanksgiving Day, I helped serve dinner to hundreds of homeless individuals and families. Upon reflection later, I felt that I had truly received a greater gift than the homeless people had. It felt so good having given up my typical Thanksgiving Day for this activity. It gave me a renewed perspective that I value to this day. I struggle to put this feeling into words right now. It’s not a matter of thinking, “Look at those homeless people. I am so thankful that I am not one of them.” It’s not that kind of awakening. It’s more of a heightened self-respect for giving and a greater compassion for the homeless. It really doesn’t matter what got them there. I am always amazed at those who mock homeless people and declare, “Why don’t they just get a job!” If you know anything about what it’s truly like to be homeless, you know that comments like that are incredibly arrogant and short-sighted.
Doing something for someone else provides a mysterious gift that strengthens your ability to face the problems that you have in your own life. This is one of the best ways to pick yourself up for a considerable amount of time.
6. Create a Vision for the Future
To create a vision for the future is to create hope, drive, and inspiration. Things may look bleak now, but just imagine how much more you are going to appreciate the good times when they arrive.
Have you ever met someone who was born into wealth and never had to face many of the challenges that the rest of us do like making a living? They have always gotten everything they wanted. They’ve always had their dream home and dream car. They have never faced a layoff, foreclosure, eviction, or an empty refrigerator. These people have no true depth of appreciation. They have no experiences of lack to compare with their past or present circumstances.
By creating a vision of your future, you are erecting goalposts. Without an idea of where you want to be in the future, how can you find your way? Decide what you want to have and be so that your subconscious mind and the universe (or God) can go to work on helping you get there.
Write out how you want your life to be in every area. Then list the steps needed to get there for each one. Add dates when you expect to have each step and goal completed. Finally, hold the vision of what you want to accomplish and how you’ll FEEL when you achieve it firmly in your mind. Do this and you’ll be able to pick yourself up every time.
7. Keep Your Thoughts in the Present & On What You Want
All your power to perform is in the present moment. If you’re thinking about unpleasant events in your past or imagining unhappy circumstances in the future you ruin your ability to perform in the present. Negative thoughts weaken, depress, and reduce your ability to perform at your best.
How can you possibly affect positive outcomes in your future if you are spending your energies on thoughts of regret and worry? You can’t! How much energy and enthusiasm will you have if you are thinking about all the things that you do not want? None!
Keep your thoughts in the present moment and on the outcomes that you want and you’ll have all the joy and energy you need. Once you train yourself to do this, you’ll begin to see miracles happen.
Once you get into the habit of using these techniques, you’ll be able to pick yourself up quickly during hard times.