“The measure of a man is the way he bears up under misfortune.” ~ Plutarch

When you come across a patch of bad luck, do you tend to blame, complain, regret, disdain or collapse in futility? If so, you are likely missing a HUGE opportunity.

How you handle misfortune sows the seeds for the next harvest. Sure, there are other people than can affect your future, but if we narrow the focus to your part in the world that you center, how you handle yourself today – whether it is a good day, a bad day or something in the middle – plants seeds that will sprout in the days, weeks, months and years to come.

Maintaining your nobility, your composure and your perspective while in a valley in your life is the mark of a wise man or woman. When in a valley, you never know what lies beyond, for lack of vision. The worst thing to do is to despair, to curse the gods or the evolutionary forces that created you, for decisions, major changes, etc., are far better made from a peak than from a valley.

I’ve seen many people who, under the pressure of temporary (for all things are) misfortune, take unwarranted or misguided action. Such action invariably leads to regret. Likewise, action without vision tends to lead the doer down a maze from which escape is unlikely.

An experienced wilderness guide will move first to a location that affords vision, such as a hilltop or a bluff, before deciding on a course of action. So too should you. If you are in a valley, take whatever time you have available to gain perspective and thereby, vision.

Don’t go to a friend or relative who will commiserate, instead, go to someone who is willing to say the hard things to you. Don’t seek out those who will simply lend you an ear or a shoulder to cry on, find those who you know will help you gain perspective on the matter, on your life.

Life is too short to sit around bemoaning the fact that you could have one if you weren’t so unlucky in life or in love. Grab it by the horns and rise up! Seek those who will complement you in this regard, not those who will agree that life is miserable and that you just have to make the best of it.

Life can be vibrant, joyous, expansive and new if you let it. Staleness comes from a refusal to receive inspiration while freshness comes from a willingness to let life move in you and through you. It’s really up to you!