This is a guest post.

We’ll never have enough time.

Paradoxically, understanding that concept allows us the potential to wisely utilize the time we have!

Using time to overcome life’s challenges is a topic I cover extensively in my book,     THE POWER OF ADVERSITY: Tough Times Can Make You Stronger, Wiser, and Better.  I know from personal experience that the advice I share with you here is incredibly effective.

Transforming time from an adversary into an ally has helped me develop the positive mindset to be able to dust myself off from early business failures and build my company, Weatherchem, into the leader in my industry. Understanding time has also allowed me to put aside self-pity and rise above the adversity in my personal life, helping me overcome serious and chronic physical illnesses, and severe emotional conflict.

You too can grasp hold of the reins of time, making it work for you as opposed to against you as you confront your troubles.  All that’s needed is for you to accept a single life-changing realization:

Time is truly the only resource you have to expend against adversity.

After all, even if you throw money at a problem, all you’re really doing is buying yourself extra time by having others tackle your troubles on your behalf.

Let’s start with the assumption that we each have some recreation we enjoy doing “to pass the time.”  I like to swim. You may enjoy playing golf or tennis… bowling…. or basketball…

In all these activities we instinctively understand that win, lose or draw, playing the game is where the real fun is. Our time spent doing our chosen activity pleasures us in myriad ways.

Now what would happen, do you think, if you approached your adversity – whatever it may be – as if it were your favorite form of recreation? As if it were a rather difficult shot on the 17th hole… or a particularly adept tennis opponent?

Do you think you could “pass the time” tinkering with your adversity the way you might tinker with your golf swing?

Let me put it another way:  Do you think you could take the mind-set and skill-sets you’ve developed through time, and put them to work against the adversity you’re confronting…  the same way you might, let’s say, apply your accumulated golf ability to improving your long game? Is it worth trying?

Remember, whether your problem is a lousy golf swing or, say, unemployment, all problems are solved the same way…

First, you take the time to get creative and come up with a possible solution.  Second, you take the time to be innovative and throw your ideas against the wall to see what sticks, keeping in mind that there’s no such thing as a mistake if you learn from your actions.

Granted, there is an immense difference in rebuilding your golf swing and rebuilding your career – but ultimately both are rebuilt through the process of trial and error – over time.

Written by Al Weatherhead

Al Weatherhead is the author of The Power Of Adversity and chairman and CEO of Weatherchem, a private manufacturer of plastic closures for food, spice, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.

Article photo by Temari 09

This feeling is extremely frustrating and causes many people to fail.

So what can you do when it turns to the 11th hour and it feels like time is up?

Create a new deadline

Give yourself a fresh start and created a new deadline. It’s not glamorous to keep pushing and overcoming obstacles especially when you’re tired from the long journey you’ve already traveled, but it’s better to be late than to never show up at all.

Make a new, shorter deadline

You may be thinking; “Huh? I didn’t even achieve the goal in time for my first deadline, so why would I make this new deadline even shorter?”

The reasoning behind creating a shorter deadline is because people often come up with deadlines that are too long.

When this happens, they become complacent. Too much time allows them to put off action until later. You will hear these people utter words like; “no rush,” “ah, I’ll do it later or tomorrow,” and “when I get some more time.” And yet, before they know it, their deadline is up and they haven’t achieved anything at all.

A shorter deadline may be the thing you need to keep you on your toes and moving forward.

Recognize that the 11th hour is an obstacle itself

When you haven’t achieved your goals and the 11th hour strikes, the 11th hour itself morphs into an obstacle that is actually there to test your endurance, your passion, your attitude, and you; and in the long run it’s there to help you. So may be time really is on your side, it’s just giving you some tough love.

Remember that the 11th hour is a proving ground for those who refuse to give up and a wasteland for those who are too weak.

Photo by stevendepolo

Life is full of miracles.

Many times the miracles are performed by ordinary people and not by divine intervention or a higher power.

You too can make miracles happen. Here are four ways you can do the “impossible,” accomplish amazing feats, change lives, and perform miracles.

1. Know that one person’s miracle is another person’s goal

Doing the “impossible” sometimes seems like performing miracles to the onlooker, but to the doer it’s not miracle work. It’s hard work; work that requires patience, persistence, and different thinking.

One person views it as a miracle that somehow falls into place and another person views it as a goal that they put into place.

2. Don’t expect to impress everyone

Just as some people will be blown away at what you’re able to accomplish, others will just yawn at you. They won’t understand the magnitude of what you’ve done or maybe they just don’t care.

Don’t look to impress anyone but yourself with what you can do.

3. Refuse to accept someone else’s failure as fact

Before we take on a difficult task we usually look to others who attempted similar feats. We’re looking for indications about how hard it’s going to be for ourselves and we’re mostly looking for inspiration to push us.

Often though, we don’t find much hope. Instead of inspiration we find a vast wasteland covered in the broken dreams of those who tried but didn’t succeed and gave up.

However, just because so many failed before you doesn’t mean that it’s the truth and your destiny. You can be the pioneer who drudges through that wasteland no matter how long it takes.

4. Find solace in difficultly

When do miracles happen? During good or bad times?

When things are going great these achievements and events aren’t considered miracles because they aren’t very amazing and they’re not really needed.

Miracles only happen during difficult times when hope seems lost. So find comfort for your mind and soul in the adversity you’re dealt. It’s during these rough patches when miracles are created and thrive.

Photo by coiax

This is a guest post.

No, this isn’t a post about an upcoming horror movie, but a troublesome group of people in society. They’re Zombies. Negative, dreamless, bitter and lazy people. Zombies don’t want to excel in anything which challenges them to think and make improvements in their lives. They blame the world for their problems. Membership is open to anyone feeling hopeless, unloved or dissatisfied with life. Subdivisions of the Zombies group are Party People, Disgruntled Workers and Dream Smashers.

PARTY PEOPLE:

These people want to have a good time ALL THE TIME! Once in awhile they mention their dreams, but it’s hard to accomplish them because it takes self discipline and sacrifice. Party people look forward to the end of the week not the future. Why make sacrifices for a better life when you can have instant gratification? It’s more fun drinking booze, taking women home and getting high.

It seems as if they’re living a wonderful and carefree life. But when you examine their lives it’s a culmination of irresponsibility, immaturity and neglect. There’s no balance between work and play.

They hate their job but are too scared and lazy to make a change. Party people complain of an unsatisfactory life and envy those chasing their dreams.

They waste social opportunities with fruitless posing and meaningless conversation. Of course, this definition doesn’t apply to all Party People. Everyone isn’t the same.

DISGRUNTLED WORKERS:

These people are always grousing. They don’t like their boss and co- workers because of in competency or bad behavior. It’s the same story of office politics and how their such a great worker in a crazy and hostile atmosphere.

By listening to the daily stories of displeasure you wonder why are they still there. Most of them will give poor excuses: “I have bills to pay”, “It’s hard getting a new job because of the recession” or “I’ll be retiring soon.”

Disgruntled workers are those not willing to make a difference in their life. They want sympathy and a shoulder to cry on not a solution to their problems. This category of people enjoy going home to numb away the pain through entertainment, sex or other activities.

Physical stimulation takes precedence over attending networking functions and updating a resume. Also, their conversation usually revolves around the job they hate. If you change the topic, he or she will find a way to tie it in with the workplace.

DREAM SMASHERS:

Dream Smashers are former dreamers who delight in telling people the impossibilities of achieving their goals. Please don’t share your dreams with this group. They’ll lecture you on “living in the real world” and drive you into depression with sarcasm and limiting beliefs.

They are experts in living a safe and comfortable life. Dream Smashers don’t want to take risks because there’s a chance of failure and embarrassment. This group reminisces of earlier years when enthusiasm permeated their bones. They were fearless and optimistic. Disappointment and failure removed an ecstatic and carefree attitude and replaced it with pessimism and cynicism.

WARNING! Do not join these groups. Reject their advances. Create you life by taking action and surrounding yourself with DOERS not LOSERS!

Written by Omar Hasan

Omar Hasan is the author of the upcoming ebook “The Disappearance of Hate”. He’s a Blogger and Screenwriter from Brooklyn, NY. His blog www.transformationscience.wordpress.com focuses on inspiring and motivating people to achieve dreams and goals.

Contact info: Ohassa@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/ohassa

Article photo by Flowery *L*u*z*a*

This is a guest post.

I believe everyone living or has lived has been gifted with wisdom to solve one problem or another; wisdom needed to go beyond our limitations; wisdom to make the right choices to allow the right people into our lives; wisdom to discern and watch over our young ones, protecting them from any form of harm, the list goes on and on……Most of the people I coach have come to a crossroad in certain areas of their lives where they have needed a bout of wisdom to direct them to the next phase, direction, junction etc.

This wisdom that we so earnestly and some times desperately seek comes from the experiences we have encountered and dealt with in life’s issues.

Most people tend to shy away from problems, what they fail to realize is that the so called problems, are sent our way to make us more experienced in life’s issues. You can view these experiences as trials and tests to show us the stuff we are made of. It’s only when we have solved the problem or dealt with the issue that we can be the voice of wisdom to others and to solve the next problem that may find its way to our doorstep.

For those of you who know the story of Solomon; he was portrayed as the wisest man on earth. If you look back in history, he was able to solve a problem between two prostitutes who came to him about a child, it was his wisdom that discovered the real mother to the child. We know that God blessed him with the gift of wisdom to judge the people he was king to, his wisdom brought him wealth unimaginable and that can still happen today.

Problems should be viewed as blessings, because when they are solved what lasts with us is the gift of wisdom; and that in itself can never be taken away.

Some of my clients don’t understand why they have so much problems to deal with, the questions I ask them is what can they learn from the problem? How do they think the problem can be solved? Why has the problem found it’s way to them instead of someone else? In answering some of these questions lies within the wisdom to solve their problem and that also means having to accept the reality of the problem to be able to solve it. Personally, I believe the problems you have and solve, the more experience you gain and ultimately what you do with the experience becomes the gift of wisdom.

If we can change our perception of problems, perhaps rename them as processes, experiences or even challenges, then we can embrace them when they appear and positively handle them to disappear, and the result will be wisdom used for the next phase of a situation in life.

Your story will then be what you now do with the experience that has happened to you and how you handled it.

There in lies success and achievement.

Written by Jacqueline Nwokeji-Ani

Jacqueline Nwokeji-Ani is an Author, Career Coach, Leadership Consultant and Social Entrepreneur. You can contact her at info@shammahcorporation.com

Article photo by Hunterrrr