Making an Obstacle an Opportunity

Pin It Now! In life the unforeseen and unfortunate happen to us all.  With the U.S economy taking a hit the last few years, many people have experienced unemployment, foreclosure, bankruptcy and families have had to tighten their budget and relinquish luxuries for necessities.  Even aside from the economy, it’s inevitable that in life less than ideal situations will present themselves.  Obstacles will arise. 

In my experience if you approach obstacles and challenges with creativity, you will have a happier life.  Being creative means being able to survive and to adapt to ever changing scenarios and environments.  If you get laid off from your job you could become bitter and frustrated that life isn’t as good as it used to be.  Or you can look at it as an opportunity; an opportunity to plan better for the future and have more money in savings.  Or an opportunity to learn a new skill or go back to school.  Perhaps it could be an opportunity to finally pursue a dream or goal of yours.  Look at so-called negatives as blessings in disguise.

When bad things happen in life view them as a challenge and an opportunity to learn something, to adapt and to simply make it work.  It truly makes for less stress and more happiness.  It’s a matter of perspective and the willingness to choose to make any situation positive even if at the time it seems impossible.  Creativity means finding ways to survive that you never considered before.  For example when I became a stay at home mom I personally took responsibility for making the dollar go further.  I only order online if I get free shipping or have a coupon (sign up for emails from your favorite stores to get the best deals/coupons), I create meal plans using up the same ingredients so nothing goes to waste and I found ways to reduce our monthly bills by $500/month…just to name a few things.  The point is I have been creative and have found ways to save money that just last year I didn’t consider.

Most of the time negative situations are temporary.  Be grateful for the things you do have.  Be mindful of all the blessings in your life because it could always be worse.  For me as long as my family is healthy, we have a roof over our heads and food on the table I will be happy.  Those 3 things are minimal, but very important.  Take note of what truly matters most and focus on it and you will find happiness.