The term “Life Hack” is a relatively new term. Well, it’s relatively new if you are my age or older – those of us who can remember back to the 1900’s. Cell phones either weren’t around back then, or they were a novelty instead of a necessity. An expensive novelty in a big, heavy, black bag, if you had one at all.
I don’t feel old (Or, at least, I didn’t until I saw part of the Billboard Music Awards show and I couldn’t identify at least half of the “top artists” featured) but it’s incredible to think how life has changed, even over the past 20 years when the term “Life Hack” didn’t exist.
So, “Life Hack” is a relatively new term. It’s a trick, novelty, new method, or skill that makes life easier. I find it incredibly useful because everyone loves the promise of an easier life. It’s in our nature to seek an easier, faster, better, or cheaper way of doing something. And, we should – as long as we realize that a life hack and a shortcut aren’t the same thing. There are no shortcuts to success in life.
That being said, here are three of my “Life Hacks” to overcoming adversity:
1) Change Your Attitude
I talk to many people who have been through adversity of all kinds. Illness, death of a loved one, abuse, domestic violence, loss of a job, loss of security, loss of faith, and more. I’m no longer surprised by the depth of pain that we suffer as humans on earth. What does surprise me is how resilient some people are.
What I’ve discovered is that there is one fundamental difference between the people who are able to overcome adversity of any type, and those who are not: Attitude.
Yes, life is tough. There is no doubt that you either have in the past, currently face, or will at some point, experience trials in life. Each trial we face is a mountain when we are climbing it and it’s only when we get to the top are we able to see the future of possibility. I’ve been there, when you feel like you can’t take one more step forward because it’s too steep, too hard, or too far. Attitude is the key difference between those who find the strength to keep going and those who decide to turn back. Changing your attitude is a simple, but critical, life hack to be more resilient. Choose to look up instead of down. Choose faith over fear. Choose joy over doubt. Choose hope over despair. Choose your attitude.
2) Change Your Thoughts
Our thoughts always feel private. No one knows what we are thinking, unless we share, right? Wrong. Our thoughts show up every single day because they are reflected in our actions. We can’t think bad thoughts and have good results. We become what we think about and dwell on. If you go through your day thinking negative thoughts about someone, something, some situation, or even yourself, your feelings, actions and emotions will reflect those thoughts sooner or later and manifest themselves.
It’s simply a matter of focused energy. That’s why I refuse to sit around and feel sorry for myself. That’s why I refuse to worry. That’s why I never limit the possibilities of how the future can be brighter. It doesn’t mean things automatically instantly improve – it just means I change what I’m thinking about the situation in order to change my outlook. And, it works.
3) Change your Habits
Our habits are the almost automatic actions and reactions that we have programmed into our lives. For example, after my early morning workout at 5:30am, I like to come home and drink a cup or two of coffee. Don’t get me wrong – I eliminated dependency on caffeine a long time ago and I can live without it. I simply enjoy the taste of coffee. It’s a habit to come in from the gym and turn on the coffee pot. I don’t give it any thought at all as long as there is a clean coffee mug around. Relax, I’m not going to preach against drinking coffee.
Our habits either serve us well or not. Habits can be good behaviors or actions but if we let them get out of control, they aren’t serving us any longer. My morning coffee has zero calories, zero sugar, and in moderation, only a little caffeine. If I drink three POTS of coffee however, that’s a habit that isn’t serving me well. It’s an out of control behavior at that level.
I’m not suggesting you must change everything about your life today – I’m saying that if you are experiencing adversity, start to overcome it by changing just one habit in your life today. Start small. Perhaps you decide that you want to create the habit of a daily prayer first thing in the morning. Start there. Or, perhaps you want to get rid of the habit of watching three hours of TV every night. Start there. Start small – behavior changes take time, effort, and energy to implement. But, you decide what habits will be better for you.
Resilient people realize they can’t control everything. But, they also realize that they can control some things and they realize that they should only focus on what they can control. You cannot, and won’t ever, be able to fix everything. But, you can change something.
Like many, Resilience and Leadership Expert Ria Story faced adversity in life. Raised on an isolated farm in Alabama, she was sexually abused by her father from age 12 – 19. She was forced to play the role of a wife and even shared with other men due to my father’s perversions. Desperate to escape, she left home at 19 without a job, a car, or even a high school diploma. Unlike many, Ria learned to not only survive but thrive. She now shares her story to inspire hope in others. Learn more: www.BeyondBoundAndBroken.com
