How do you eat an elephant?

In a dark hole, we never seem to find the light at the end of the tunnel because it seems so dark that we can’t even see that we are in a tunnel. My life seems to have been like this for a long time. No matter what challenge I am faced with there seems to be a bigger challenge waiting for me around the corner. In times like this all I wish for is that someone will pick me out of my situation, like a Genie that has been released to grant me a wish, thereby solving all my problems.
Would that really help me and will I have learned a lesson by it?

When I am in my bed at night and in the dark, I have the quietness to think about what the challenges are that I am being faced with. Sometimes, thinking about it makes it worse, depending on what the situation is and depending, I suppose, on how my bio-rhythms are at that particular time. But at other times I am able to see each individual challenge in its own light and I am able to understand why they are there and with what I am being faced with. It’s a constant uphill battle that I am faced with. I have the ability to put on a strong face and only my close friends and family are the ones that will notice something is afoot. I can put on a strong face and cover up my feelings, while I have a hurricane happening in my stomach and an electric storm in my brain, yet continue dealing with acquaintances and clients as if all is well in the world.

This past year has taught me a lot about myself and how I handle things, but one thing I have come to realize in this period, thanks to my brother and my life coach, is that if we ponder on the negative, we will attract the negative. No matter how hard the challenge, I always try to look for the positive twist in any situation. I am human after all and I make many mistakes, which is what makes me human, and I get very embarrassed by these mistakes on the inside, so I keep a keen eye for the slightest possibility of positivity in any situation.

A very dear friend, who is a sharp witted friend, an energetic business woman with an incredibly creative mind, and yes, a damn good hearted person as well, once asked me: “How do you eat an elephant? One bight at a time!”
Life is filled with challenges, and each of us is faced with our own challenges because that is exactly what we have to go through, at that particular time, for the lesson that we need to learn, be learnt. She also said to me that as we face these hard times, we need to learn to deal with them second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour and then day by day. This way we can deal with the small bits as they come, to get them out of the way.

Such wise words those because she is so right. There is no way anyone can deal with all the challenges at the same time, all the time! Sure, some people do seem to look like they are able to do just that, but how much have they already dealt with that we have not seen, because there is always a lot that we don’t really see, like an iceberg floating in the north Atlantic. What we have to do in these situations is take the parts that we can deal with there and then, get them out of the way, then move on to the next challenge and start the process again. Let’s also remember to be kind to ourselves and congratulate ourselves for the achievement of getting through the one challenge to move onto the next. You are human and not perfect but do remember to not be so harsh on yourself. How boring would life be if everything went right all of the time?

So, I have learnt a lot in the last year and by learning to share I have been given real ‘useable’ knowledge as to how to deal with the challenges I have, and am, being faced with. I am no different to the next person who shares the earth with me, so my challenges may be different to yours, but they are not, in any way, more or less important than the challenges you are being faced with.
I wanted to share this knowledge with everyone because I hope it can help you a little in the challenge that you are faced with everyday; life.

So, how do you really eat your elephant?