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Essence of Life: Staying Positive Amidst Life Challenges
Palika FranklinSometimes life lessons don’t always feel great when they’re happening, but after we go through it, we can look back, find value and see personal advancement. This is how we stay in the positive flow of life. In fact, a great quote by Winston Churchill is, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.”
This quote is evidence that everyone, even fabulously successful individuals, experience life’s ups and downs. It is by consciously navigating through these turbulences that we become successful - since making us successful is its purpose.
These ups and downs are designed to break us down and rebuild us, like a muscle, making us stronger and more refined. Since this life pattern happens to everyone, the ancient Vedic text Bhagavad- Gita wisely recommends that we learn to tolerate life’s dualities, like the non-permanence of happiness and distress and heat and cold, and to rise above them by seeking shelter in higher wisdom.
Why not choose to overcome the fears that arise with the waves of life and dive into them by asking, “What am I really afraid of?” Then, just when we think a wave might pull us under, we discover that we are safe and are always supported and nourished in this ocean of life. Just as one drop of water is not independent of the whole body of water, we are a part of a greater whole and are never alone.
But now what? What to do with this more refined and fluid self? We can all ask ourselves that question. We can take pleasure in our appearance - generously granted to us by life. Great self-esteem is very important, yet that alone gets stale. So back to the question, what to do? The simple answer is: Recognize your gifts and, in a mood of appreciation, be of heartfelt service.
“To know and not to do is not yet to know.” - Zen saying.
Nothing is more fulfilling than to use your gifts to be of loving service. If the ocean of life is bumping us around to bring us this ultimate lesson, why not get ahead of the game and jump into the groove of it?
• Be conscious and stay alert: Ask, “What do I need to learn from this situation?”
• Be flexible and shift with the current of life’s direction.
• Be appreciative for all the good.
• Know that only good lies before you.
• Feel the freedom that comes as you navigate the waves of life consciously.
• Be of service, it is part of our nature, and nothing is more fulfilling.
Palika Franklin, MA in Psychology, is both an educator and in private practice. In her work with corporations and individuals, her extensive training and background in Eastern philosophy paired with her education in modern psychology, gives her a unique perspective and approach to human development and life transformation. Franklin works with an international clientele and specializes in helping clients quickly solve core problems and consciously create the life they want. She may be contacted at 352-283-3102 or franklintransformation@gmail.com.