More than just a silver lining
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Well, friends, today I am sick. It’s just a little cold, but I usually feel so good that my attitude is the same as if I had gotten bronchitis. But this morning, I was forcing down exactly 350 calories of breakfast even though I had absolutely no appetite, and I got hit with the Obvious Stick. “Hey,” I said to myself, “I can use my little cold to practice being responsible.”
You see, I brought this cold on myself. No, really. I know my “machine” very well, and I know that I opened the door to sickness by staying up too late, too many nights in a row. It happens every time. I know this compromises the immune system — everyone’s, but mine especially, and I somehow thought I was the exception. So, when my two-year-old’s nose started running, I didn’t think, “Oh boy, I better do everything right so I don’t get sick.” Nope. I didn’t think at all.
Therefore, I have absolutely no cause to whine, even in the theater of my mind. Instead, I am using this opportunity to practice discipline and responsibility. All day long, I was teeth-grittingly perfect. I ate every 3 hours even though I had no appetite. I even took a nap when I was tired. I drank water. I exercised heavily in the morning (it’s just a cold, not a reason to throw me off my schedule.)
Even though none of this was pleasant — what is, when you have a cold — I was able to feel good about myself. I was able to gain back the responsibility points I lost by staying up all night. But even better, I turned my cold into a real opportunity to teach my readers about opportunism! (This quality is featured in “What It Takes,” the first paper in my free business course.)
Opportunism is turning adversity into real opportunity, not just thinking positively through a bad spot, finding hacks around a problem, or acting cheerful. No, it’s the ability to really and truly turning it into an unique advantage for you, and use it as a springboard for success.
In martial arts, Shr Fu often talked about this. When I heard my teacher — who has real-life combat experience — speak about fighting, it was clear he never stopped strategizing, even when he was getting a blow to the stomach. He taught us to use our sparring partners’ energy to give our strikes more power.
This quality comes from physical training, but it’s an example of “the body trains the mind.” Opportunism comes from being mentally ready and open to opportunity. You have to constantly ask yourself, “How can I use this to my advantage? How can I make the situation even better because of this opportunity?”
If I had been in the mindset to act cheerful and weather the storm, I would be focusing on distracting myself from my cold. If I slipped into self-pity (yep, I am quite a baby about being sick), I would just be making myself miserable. But because of my opportunism, I actually was grateful for the chance to practice my responsibility, repair my self-image as a healthy and disciplined person, and have ready inspiration for this blog!
Now, I’m off to bed at a reasonable hour so that I can feel as good as possible tomorrow…
About The Author
Katherine Durkes
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2 Responses and Counting...
I find myself smiling whenever I finish reading one of your posts/articles/etc. If only more people were willing to take responsibility for themselves and self-discipline as you describe – myself defintely included!
Hope you are feeling better!
Hi Rachel,
Thanks for your note. I’m glad I can provide a little light in your life. As for taking responsibility, well, we’re all only human. We all do the best we can! It’s a tough battle every day, at least for me. – Katherine.