I Survived the Bermuda Triangle

Overcoming Challenging Situations

Fight the Uphill Battle...and Win!

Me and my parents at the hotel's "Legendary Happy Hour"

Tropical vacations are supposed to be easy right? It means relaxation, tanning, frozen cocktails, shopping for souvenirs, yummy dinners, walks on the beach, sleeping in, leisure reading, etc. Well while vacations for me bring all of these things they also prove to be challenging situations. Tropical vacations mean bathing suits, unusual foods that are outside my comfort zone, high calorie alcoholic beverages, family pressure, high anxiety travel days, and a discomforting lack of structure. I don't mean to sound like a pessimist but it's the truth. I have a very difficult time relaxing on vacations because the negative elements bring a great deal of stress that often gets in the way of all the positives. But I am back in the States and I not only survived the Bermuda Triangle but came out relatively unscathed and even enjoyed many parts of it. Yes I gained a little bit of my vacation weight, which is not unusual, but I'm not too concerned because I know it will most likely come off naturally now that I am home and back in my normal routine. Were there a couple nights of vacation that I drank a little too much? Of course, it's vacation! And did my family get in more than a couple arguments? Absolutely because we are a family- all families fight. So maybe vacation is what you would consider a challenge or an uphill battle but that's not really the point. The point is no matter the challenging situation, whatever your personal Bermuda Triangle happens to be, you can overcome it. You have the strength to not only fight the uphill battle but to win it! Of course I have some quotes with you to support my case but don't worry it's not an overwhelming amount today-

Don't fret, you can do it!

"If I had a formula for bypassing trouble, I would not pass it round.  Trouble creates a capacity to handle it.  I don't embrace trouble; that's as bad as treating it as an enemy.  But I do say meet it as a friend, for you'll see a lot of it and had better be on speaking terms with it."  

-Oliver Wendell Holmes

My brother finally makes a guest appearance-

I like the casual tone of this quote, the theorizing about a formula to avoid trouble, but Holme's insistence that he would not share such a formula if it existed. How often do we wish that trouble or challenges did not enter our lives? I can't speak on your behalf but I can honestly say that there have been countless times that I wished for an easier life or that I did not have to go through certain difficult experiences. But the truth is if we never fought through these troubles we wouldn't learn- about ourselves, about others, to differentiate between good times and bad, to overcome the next hurdle or handle things in the future. Not only do troubles teach us many things but they help us to build character and develop who we are as people. I would not go as far as to say that we are defined by our challenges but they most definitely help to shape us, direct what and who we care about, alter the way we handle situations and interact with other people. Challenges and troubles are inevitable- no one has the perfect life. We all face our own set of challenges, we all have our own periods of difficulty, and no one lives a life untouched by tragedy or pain. Experiencing these struggles allows us to help and sympathize with others when they are going through a rough time. We may not understand exactly what they are experience but we know how it feels to experience a sad or unpleasant time. Additionally knowing the others have overcome their own trials, or that we have overcome issues in the past, can help us believe that we can overcome challenging situations now and in the future. The second quote I chose is one that is commonly used and chances are you have seen before-

"I know G-d will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."

-Mother Teresa

Even Mother Teresa occasionally wishes that just large issues weren't thrust in her lap. However the differences is she believes that she can overcome them despite their magnitude. She puts her faith in G-d, as I often do as well, but ultimately we need to put our faith in ourselves. There is not an issue or problem that we can't handle. G-d won't give us something that we are unable to manage. Other people have gone through similar issues, taxing situations, challenging tasks and overcome them. We can too! No matter what you are currently struggling with or what the next challenge is that comes your way remember your own strength and fight! It may feel impossible, you might feel helpless or hopeless, but you can fight the uphill battle and win! No matter what never bow your head down and give in or give up. You owe to yourself to do your best and fight it out to end- your own strength and abilities may surprise you!

Never stop fighting,
xo

I'm such an anti-feminist but this image was too perfect-