The Bring It Manifesto pt 1: Keep Ya Head Up 7 Point Challenge

Life can punch you in the face.  She punches all of us in the face at some point. Whether it's a career change, a social challenge, athletics or musical learning or financial issues we have moments which force us to rise or crumble. This is when we need grit most. Grit is courage and resolve; strength of character. It's been studied that the amount of grit we have will determine our outcomes post challenge. Our ability to deal with messed up situations actually makes us stronger.

Here are a few tips that help me deal when I'm getting punched in the face...

1. You're not alone- we can only experience life within ourselves. That's why when life gets challenging, we lose empathy and the understanding that everyone experiences tough moments in their lives. We think we are the only ones who ever felt x, y, or z.  That's totally not true. I always say we all live in the middle someone is always better and someone is always worse. It's relative. When you think about your experience think of it on the continuum of possibilities from positive to negative. No matter where you lie on the spectrum it could be better or worse... Your experience is neither bad or good, it just is.
   
2. Ride the sine and cosine of life... Remember graphing sine and cosine curves on your TI-83 calculator? There are ups and downs for all of us. This shall pass- nothing lasts forever... This includes heartache & happiness. We think "oh my god this is my life", it's just your life at that moment.  Moments mean nothing in the span of universe time. I mean the sun and our solar system was made "in a moment". Don't get too high and don't get too low... This challenge will be over before you know it and a new one will emerge.
   
3. Embrace the amnesia- pushing out three kids was painful. I recall having anxiety right before my third child's delivery because I knew she had to come out somehow but how?  It was because I forgot the pain but remembered "wait, wait... this is gonna suck". I used to have the same feeling right before the gun went off in track, "Like oh shit, I remember now that this sucks", but the reward of placing afterward allows you to forget the pain. Life's challenges are like that.  Looking back you probably will not remember exactly how you felt you'll just remember it was a challenge.
   
4. Seek peace- surround yourself with people and opportunities that will bring calming emotional balance. Pray, meditate, exercise, play music, doodle... whatever calms you, do that.  A little libations once in a while is cool, but make sure if you're sad you aren't hitting that bottle too hard.  Peace should come from within... just like motivation.  Internal drivers are much more impactful than external ones.
   
5. Smile- even if you feel like crying smile. Stop bitching; stay positive. It's good to talk about it but there's a fine line between mental and emotional releasing and wallowing in self pity.  Staying positive through adversity is not only good for you it's necessary for your survival through this bout of WTF... Which leads me to my next point....
   
6. IDGAF- yes. IDGAF. Sometimes I say that to pump me up when I'm going through a rough spell. Look, you gotta have swag. No swag and you'll believe that you suck... When you believe you suck you don't have the confidence to pull yourself up out of your mental perception of what's happening. Confidence is king!
   
7. Polish your armor - take care of yourself because you're battling difficult challenges, negative energies or negative people. You gotta stay strong mentally and physically...if not, you won't outlast this situation.  Cut down on sugar & coffee; eat more veggies, get good sources of protein and drink lots of water. More sleep is critical and if yo can't,  take a nap for 20-40 minutes to renew your flesh.  
   

As Tupac says "Keep Ya Head Up"!  Remember that pressure makes diamonds or breaks glass. Are you going to be awesome or break. You only have two choices because tough situations don't allow you to just exist. For whatever reason you're being forced to grow. Take your current situation as an opportunity to learn. What are you going to come out of this with?

Check out: "Being Positive is Essential to Survival"