This too shall pass

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you could not see any hope?

On the contrary, have you ever found yourself in a situation where you did not feel the need for hope, because everything was working out for you?

When I was a child, I read a proverb which said “This too shall pass”.

At the time, I thought very little of that proverb, and brushed it off as being something religious or something to do with philosophy.

Over the last three years, I have come to fully realise the true meaning of that proverb, and how I can incorporate it into my life. You see, there are many things out there that we may not believe in. Yet, they can work for us once we start to believe in them. What we believe in, we will make happen.

As William James said, “Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will create that fact for you”.

I started to tell myself “This too shall pass” whenever I needed hope or whenever things in my personal life or professional life were not going as I desired. There was an instance when I was so close to securing a business contract. A multi-national organisation wanted me to provide coaching for their staff in four different states! It all looked very promising, and I thought that I had sealed the deal. Then, they informed me that due to budget cuts, they had put all staff training on hold! Was I deflated? You bet that I was.

All I did was remind myself “This too shall pass”. What I had to do was to go out looking for another opportunity like the one that did not come my way. I told myself that this is temporary, and that this feeling of disappointment will not last forever. I was the one who had to take responsibility and accountability for getting over this sense of disappointment. And, I had to take productive action.

There have also been times in my life when I was elated with joy because of an achievement. When my book got released, I simply could not hide my sense of excitement and how proud I was.

Similarly, whenever I win a public speaking contest, the feeling of joy stays with me for weeks on end.

And then, I remind myself “This too shall pass”.
Now, you might be reading this, and wondering why I would do that when good things happen to me. The reason is very simple – I wish to avoid complacency.

So, when life brings you adversity, please remind yourself that “This too shall pass”.

On the other side of the coin, when life brings you excitement and joy, please also remind yourself that “This too shall pass”.

One of the most impactful pieces of advice that I was ever given was to ask myself “What’s next?” each time I achieved a goal.

So, whether life brings you adversity or joy, here are a few simple things that you can do:

1. Remind yourself “This too shall pass”– it is temporary. Your holistic being is not defined by what is happening to you right now. There is more to your life, than just what is happening to you right now.

2. Always take productive action- no matter how small your action steps may seem, keep at it. Whether you are facing adversity or are celebrating success, there is always more to come. So keep taking action.

3. Avoid being complacent, by being proactive– as I mentioned in point 2, take productive action. That is the only way to avoid complacency. Once you become complacent, you will stagnate. As I wrote in my book “If life was always smooth sailing, there would be no room for growth in any aspect of our existence. You would become stagnant and not move forward.”

4. Ask yourself “What’s next?”– if you are celebrating a success, then look for your next success by setting another goal. If you are facing adversity, then look for ways to overcome adversity.

5. Keep your eyes on the bigger picture, and what the future will bring - Live for today, and look forward to tomorrow!

6. Evaluate your life, to see how far you have come – at times we need to be reminded of what progress we have made in life. That progress can fuel the fire to overcome adversity. That progress can be the reason to go for bigger goals.

7. Be more grateful for life – whether you are looking for hope or you already have lots of hope in your life, please always be grateful for life. An attitude of gratitude is a gift that will bring you more of what you are grateful for!

I hope that I have given you a simple insight into how you can use “This too shall pass” to gain hope when you are facing adversity, and to avoid complacency when you are feeling a sense of achievement.

Quote: “Whether you are successful or a failure, where you are is just temporary. You won’t be there for the rest of your life.” Eric Thomas

Inspiring you towards your excellence,
Ron Prasad

PS: If you are yet to order my book, please go towww.WelcomeToYourLifeBook.com. For $19.95, you get the book, thousands of dollars in bonus gifts from some of the best personal development experts in the world (such as Bob Proctor, Marci Shimoff, Dr Joe Rubino), and you get to give back to the community by supporting my charity! I appreciate your support.