Dealing with responsibilities and difficulties

We all go through good and bad stuff and there are times when everything is going well, followed by periods of challenges and difficulties.

I know people who stuff unopened and unpaid bills in a drawer, ignore calls from collectors and even the signs that something is amiss - perhaps their marriage or their kid´s addiction - which requires immediate action.

I have learned that ignoring a physical symptom may result in a life-threatening situation. Men, for instance, are not more macho because they refuse to go to the doctor for chest pain, especially if they have people who love and depend on them.   

I have also learned that everything from parking tickets to credit debt is better dealt with as soon as possible. Postponing implies living in fear of having to face it sooner or later. Of course there are people who are ok with that but in the end it all catches up with them and then they lament their bad luck or  blame it on others.

What difficulties, challenges or responsibilities have you dealt with up until now? Which have you not resolved yet? What are you going to do about it?

I can guarantee that no matter how tough it is, from being unable to pay the mortgage to asking for an extension to file your taxes or negotiate a speeding ticket – some specially common and irritating examples – if you face issues as they arise, you will feel much relief.

When you have no unfinished business, you can focus your energy, time and attention to the things that really matter to you. In fact, you are more free when you face your responsibilities.

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Doing what it Takes.

I´ve spent the last two years cleaning up the messes of the past, and it´s a draining and emotionally and mentally taxing deal. 

While doing the complex paperwork some of this entailed, I thought a little too often of what a time-waster it was and how I could be doing much more productive things, such as enjoying my kids, writing, exercising or hustling for freelance gigs. 

Even sticking pins into my eyes sounded more appealing. 

I also spent a little too much energy feeling angry because the spills I was cleaning up were not mine alone. I felt a little (sometimes a lot) resentful, because I was paying dearly with all my hard-earned money and my precious time, while others, equally responsible, were without a care.

I have learned this in the process, however: feeling angry and sorry for myself did not fix the problem. Asking others involved to take care of their part and being frustrated because nothing was done, certainly did not fix the problem. Taking full responsibility of it and tackling it myself did. And, even though tackling it head on also meant losing everything material – again – at the end of the process, it also meant gaining a sense of responsibility and peace of mind that is priceless.

I know people who shove unopened envelopes and other problems into a drawer, for years on end, hoping that they will stay there. Alas, they don´t. They grow, and while they do so, they eat away at your very soul and of those around you.

I recommend facing issues as they arise, since most don´t just go away. Trudging in the mud is not easy, but when you pull yourself out on dry land, you feel weightless and ready to take on the world.

Face the music and the saddest song will eventually turn into a happy tune.

www.lorrainecladish.com