Navigating Life's Storms - The fourth and final P

Our world is one scary and overwhelming place.  All the outside negative influences can easily push us into situations that can make even the strongest amongst us want to curl up in the fetal position.  So how do we get through these difficult “storms” without just curling up waiting for it to be all to be over?  Well first you should make sure you read up on my ways of staying positive in difficult situations J

The 4 P’s of Positivity – how to get through any difficult situation with a smile Overcoming our smaller problems with the help of some P’s Perspective – the 2nd Key to Positivity Positivity always needs Passion These are a good place to start when you are faced with life’s storms, but there is one piece missing.  These help us deal with each storm individually, but even when we succeed and come out of the storm with our gleaming smile and positive outlook, another storm is sure to follow.  This is where it can get overwhelming and even the best us get beaten down.  So the question remains; how do we keep moving forward with all these potential storms coming our way?  We need a navigational tool just like a boat or plane.  This is where the fourth P of Positivity comes to the rescue, Purpose.  What is the purpose of my life? Wouldn’t we all love to have a snap answer to that question, it sure would make things easier J  Unfortunately, I think is has probably been the most reflected on more than any topic in human existence. I am sorry to disappoint but I don’t have the magical answer.  But I can just share with you what has navigated me through my storms of the past year.  I really began reflecting on this topic while in the hospital over a year ago after I had used the first 3 P’s to help me overcome the initial shock and fear of dealing with my Leukemia diagnosis.  Peace, Perspective, and Passion are excellent tools for enabling us to keep our spirits up and staying positive throughout life’s storms.  Purpose is what navigates us through the many storms that we will encounter throughout our lives journey. After much reflection I came up with 3 things that would help guide me through the trials and tribulations of the upcoming year.  First it was survival.  I knew deep down I had great purpose for my life and had much to give back to this world, so surviving this epic battle was paramount.  Second, I wanted to give back.  This is what inspired my blog.  I knew that if even only one person could find solace, inspiration or enjoyment from my journey, everything I would go through would be worth it.  Finally, I needed to be open to finding “life’s purpose”.  This is that whole philosophical side of the coin.  I think it is the engine though that keeps us moving forward in our darkest hours.  Now that a year has passed I still don’t know the over-riding purpose for my life.  Survival is still a major focus but it has changed slightly since my bone marrow transplant.  I find I have embraced a much healthier lifestyle since the transplant (I have lost 30 lbs, with more planned to go J ).  I feel so blessed to still be alive and kicking, I think it would be insulting to me and my donor to not respect my gift and live a healthy, positive, wonderful life.  I am still using the blog to share my reflections.  Again this has changed over the past year as well.  I am finding reflections and inspirations in more than just my battle with cancer.  I really enjoy looking at different aspects of my life and reflecting on how it teaches us.  This keeps things interesting because I never know whether my post will be inspired from cancer, photography, reading, YOUR COMMENTS, etc. (I write your comments large because I can’t count the number of posts that have been inspired by you my readers.)  Finally, I am still keeping my mind open to my great purpose in life. I don’t have any plan on how to achieve this, I am just going to keep being open to opportunities that come my way, stay positive, and be open to where this wonderful life leads me.  I have started to realize something though.  Our great purpose in life is an ever changing affair.  I think this is why it is so hard for us to concretely identify it.  As we change as individuals our over-riding purpose will change as well.  Just like when a ship changes course in a storm the navigation system adjust to direct them forward.  I wanted to leave you with my favourite quote with regards to this topic by Richard Bach: “Here is the test to find whether your mission on earth is finished.  If you're alive, it isn't.” I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.  Has there been a tough time where you found a purpose that helps you navigate through your storm? Did You Enjoy This Blog? Get all my posts delivered FREE to your email!