Defining oneself in times of difficulty

We all know what it feels like to experience hardship. We all experience difficulty regularly; therefore every one of us has a unique way of dealing with it.  

We all experience difficulty, it's part of being human.

Hardship and toil make us stronger. That sense of power and strength you experience after tackling difficulties is a feeling like no other. 

You feel infinite - the sky your limit.

However it is during that time of struggle that we must be our strongest. We must be able to sustain ourselves during the difficult moments; otherwise we will never experience the good times.

“Unless you have bad times, you can't appreciate the good times” 

– Joe Torre

So how do I personally get through the tough moments? I have three go-to methods that I rely upon:

#1- The Power of Mothers

My number one go to person in life is my Mum. It might sound  cliché, but she really is the one person I can count on to discuss absolutely anything. I believe that no matter how old you get, the majority of people never stop relying on their Mum.  Whether it is advice on boyfriends, where to travel, or parenting advice- your Mum has the answer to everything, or at least advice to start the thinking process. However, more than just knowledge, they have the ability to keep you calm. 

Your Mum keeps you grounded when you feel like the world is on fire and there is no way out. My Mum is my go-to person. 

Mums have the toughest job in the world but even in the toughest of times, they never fail.

#2- The Power of Keeping your cool

I always try and keep my cool.  Take a few deep breaths for instance.  The worst thing you can do in a stressful situation is freak out. 

Whenever I am stressed I make a conscious effort to not act like:

Because I don't want the situation to change to:

So I say:

I try to look like this guy:

And, act like this guy:

Stressing during a difficult time makes the situation worse. If you have a positive attitude you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

Freaking out gets you nowhere, being calm takes you everywhere.

#3 Perspective

Sometimes, what we deem to be “difficult” is far from significant in comparison to others. Every time I am having rough day, I always put my problems in perspective with others around the world. I am  privileged to have access to water, food and shelter - everything is a gift.

We all experience difficulty and we all have our ways of coping. However, sometimes what we deem "difficult" is insignificant, to situations such as war and starvation. 

Put your difficulties into perspective, then you will truly understand what "difficult" is.  

Answers to Antimicrobial Resistance...

Imagine that, five years from now, you contract a deadly disease.  There are over 160 different types of antibiotics, but your body has developed resistance to them all from repeated prescription and use. With no other cure available what do you do?

This isn’t an unrealistic image; although society is generally aware of the dangers of over use of antibiotics, there is a level of naïvity about the looming crisis of Antimicrobial resistance.

We are a society of overconsumption, in our eating, drinking and spending. Likewise, we have over consumed on antibiotics. A confronting statistic that puts our overuse into perspective can be seen that fourty-seven years ago we only needed 40,00 units of penicillin to cure pneumonia, today, we need 24 million units.  

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), it is the ability of microorganisms (bacteria, viruses and parasites) to prevent antibiotics from working against it. AMR causes antibiotics that once worked, to become ineffective. This allows infections, diseases and other illnesses to persist and continue to spread. 

There are three main ways to try and turn this problem around:

1.     Firstly, antibiotic control programs can be run in hospitals. These programs involve education on the issue, alternative treatment guides, and mandatory approval for the use of restricted antibiotics.

2.     Secondly, the uses of computer-based programs, which sift through large amounts of information on a patient, to calculate whether antibiotic are necessary.

3.     Finally the most simple and yet high effective method is hygiene; washing of hands to stop the spread of infection and the need to use antibiotics.

These are not very onerous steps that will stop the rise of AMR. As a society we should be taking steps like these for the better good and with an eye on the long term rather than the immediate convenient short term.

Students not afraid of Change.

Change is a constant. It is around us, inside us and everywhere we look.

In the time you take to read this sentence, 50,000 of your body cells will have died and been replaced, a necessary change, but out of your control. However, many constructive changes are within our control, and it is these that we must take responsibility for and act upon.

Even though we are subject to constant change – in mind and body - for some reason many people become anxious at the mention of “change.” The majority of adults associate “change” with negative connotations; a change in the workplace, change in jobs, pay, interest rates, and the overall cost of living. Perhaps this is because they have become entrenched in their ways, or comfortable in, or at least accepting of, their environment.

It is for this reason that student led change vital for society.

Young adults still hold small elements
of their childhood selves; they tackle
the world with no fear, nothing is
impossible to them.  

Students are more open to change.  They act on what they deem important, being unfazed by the unknown. Students are optimistic leaders, they “demonstrate a healthy and favorable outlook, fostering hope, and set a positive tone for the future” (Shankman, Allen & Haber-Curren 2015).  Young people are adventurers, they take risks and they are determined to lead change where possible.

“Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.” - Ron Wild

 As Christine Nixon put it, we are “all global citizens, with global challenges” (2015, pers. Comm 28 April). Whether we are personally affected by them or not, global challenges surround us, and we must work to amend them.  Positive change is required.

This does not mean we must expect to address the major challenges the world faces; ending poverty, stopping wars or finding a cure for cancer.  Solving these problems will take time and requires the efforts of more than just one student body.  It is important to be realistic in setting our goals and considering our actions.  We need to look at the changes we can make that will build to something.  The small changes we make individually will overall have the greatest impact.  As Mother Teresa said:  

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Playing Basketball. 

Our world is filled with conflicting existence. It is for this reason that I embarked on a trip to India and Northern Nepal with my fellow Sacre Coeur students to try and create a difference, even if no more than bringing a sense of worth and hope to families who were affected by poverty. We were a group students “going beyond temporary gains in achievement scores to create lasting, meaningful improvements” (Hargreaves & Fink 2004). We were a group of students leading change.

Hand- clapping games. 

Despite poverty being a global challenge, we set the realistic goal to initiate change within a small community. Volunteering in a Tibetan Refugee, we endeavored to generate feelings of happiness in the locals. Whether it was through playing hand-clapping games, basketball, having spontaneous sing-a-longs, or even cleaning the school and work sheds, these small actions increased the chances of a smile appearing on the locals’ faces.

A smile may seem insignificant and irrelevant, in relation to the global issue of poverty, however we strongly believe that it made a difference in their lives. It fostered hope and confidence in the Refugees.  

The power of a smile. 

We were wanted to engage both “above and below the Neck” (Heifetz, Grashow & Linksky 2009), meaning we invested both our physical strength as well as our heart, to those we helped in the Refugee center. Good leaders bring intellect to their work; great leaders pour their heart and emotions into what they do, and consequently they have the greatest impact because they care for their work. Just like we cared for the locals on our trip.

We knew we couldn't change the world and we understood we couldn't remove the poverty in their lives, but most importantly, we saw an opportunity to help others. We seized the chance to make a difference in the world, even if it was small.  We were not scared to create change; we were willing to enter into the unknown, because it was important to us.

  

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead

Currently the students of today endeavor to change the world. They do not fear change, but the question is will this mentality sustain as they grow up, or will they too, succumb to the notion of “change” with having negative connotations? Is there an unidentified cycle that must be broken, so that student led change is not temporary?

 

A group of 15 students not afraid of change. 

References

Bebi, A & Beba B 2013, Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child - Ron Wild, PinInterest, online image, viewed 26 May 2015, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/292804413246501150/

Heifetz, R, Grashow, A & Linsky, M 2009, Leadership in a (permanent) crisis, Harvard Business Review, Massachusetts.

Heifetz, R, Grashow, A & Linsky, M 2009, The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, Harvard Business Review, Massachusetts.

Hargreaves, A & Fink, D 2004. “The Seven Principles of Sustainable Leadership”. Educational Leadership, Volume 61, Number 7.

Shankman, M, Allen, S & Haber-Curran 2015, emotionally intelligent leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

*all other images are my own*