Who can forget the winter Olympics’ skating scandal of 1994? It was Jan.6, during the trials, when Nancy Kerrigan, Massachusetts’ hometown darling, was assaulted with a bat and photographed on the ground, holding her knee, sobbing “Why?”  Later, we learned Tanya Harding, her team mate, had planned the assault because she wanted to improve her chances for winning the gold, by taking Kerrigan out of the running. Kerrigan ended up winning the silver medal, but became more famous for asking her question, first echoed loudly in the rink right after her attack, and later in all the media coverage.

“WHY?”

There seems to be a thin line between tragedy and humor, and any great comedian appreciates their odd linkage. Sat Night Live poked fun at Nancy and Late Night Hosts created monologues, referencing the Kerrigan attack for weeks. I remember a coworker, imitating the Kerrigan reaction, when her test papers got jammed in the teacher’s copy room, minutes before the next period bell. As she tugged at the jammed paper and fought the Xerox machine, she theatrically kept asking the question:  “Why? Why? Why?”

It wasn’t a dumb question.

When life hits us hard, like a baseball bat on the knee, the first thing that enters our mind or slips from our lips is Nancy’s question; “Why? Why Me? Why us? ” And if you believe in a higher power, you will either turn to Him for help or away from Him in anger.

When It Feels Like God Isn’t There

Our attitude, approach to life, or relationship with God, or some spiritual entity, will determine how well we persevere, adapt and eventually pull through the rough patches.

None of us can get through life without scrapes. At one time or another, you’ll wake up and those innocent ideas of childhood are long gone with the notion of “happily ever after”. That isn’t to say, you wake up feeling like you’ll never find happiness. It’s the ever after part. It doesn’t last forever. So enjoy the good times while they last and in dark periods, remember the good times have to come back to you again. Nothing in this life is permanent. Eventually, even this new post will  expire, only to be cached and dumped by Google.

I’m telling you, nothing is safe!

Here today, gone tomorrow:

It’s a crap shoot, roller coaster ride, or splash in the dunk tank.  Depending on your attitude and outlook; you’ll gamble, get sick or learn to swim. Life isn’t supposed to be fair. Bad things happen to good people all the time and no one can avoid trouble. You have to accept what is and adapt.

How do you react to trouble?

The interesting phenomenon, that marvels me, is how people can react so differently to the same problem. Take two women; the same age, same background, same upbringing and income; send both of them the same trouble, and then get some popcorn to watch.

It’s fascinating!

Same people, same problem and both react differently. Whether it’s an illness, death in the family, or loss of some kind, all of us respond differently to some degree.

The money to be made!

Have you been noticing all the e books coming out and services offered in “life coaching”? Did we know what a life coach was in the 80’s? Don’t remember. And the first time I heard of it I had no understanding of what a life coach does.

I guess it’s someone who understands life and gets paid to tell someone else their point of view. They share their opinion and ideas on how to live, like; We can’t always control what trouble comes our way, but we can control how we view our problem and how we choose to respond. That will determine the quality of our life and how happy we’ll be.

So pay me 300 Us Dollars and download my 30 page book to find out what you should know but your mom was too busy to teach you!

Just kidding! Okay, if you’re a real life coach, I apologize. I don’t mean to insult. Just like teachers, lawyers, doctors, writers…some are more professional, certified, knowledgeable, and helpful than others. I just get annoyed seeing the millions of websites offering coaching at a fee. Doesn’t that spoil the whole point of helping out your neighbor? Okay, off topic…my ADHD is kicking in….that will be another post.

Focus

I’m back. What was I saying? Oh yeah, choice and deciding if you’ll get out of bed and look for a job, or stay in bed and cry because you can’t pay your bills. Maybe you’ll do what that woman in New Jersey did a few years ago when she wanted to collect her spouse’s life insurance: She put a drug in his tea, pulled him into the bathroom, chopped him up, put his body parts in a suitcase, and sent her deceased hubby sailing in the ocean…HUH?

(Do you remember that? Unbelievable, but that is how she wanted to pay off her debt! )

Creative yes, but too  messy…

Choice & Attitude

Now let’s say you grew up poor and life hasn’t treated you fairly. So maybe, your first impulse is to imitate Winnie the Pooh’s pal, Eeyore and just file it under; “It figures, here we go again! Nothing good will come my way..”

You have a doom and gloom outlook. You don’t even consider trying to change anything that could help you feel better or make life more tolerable because you’re too comfortable with playing the role of  “victim”.

Why?

I mean, even if you’re usually a negative person, because your mother was cold and you never got the support from family…why can’t you change your attitude now?

And being a skeptic, you’ve either clicked away after I made that point or you’re  rolling your eyes at me. But think about it.

You may not be able to change the problem, but try thinking outside the box.

What is present in your life that you could change, to make you feel better? It doesn’t have to be something big. Even if you take a walk in the middle of the day to treat yourself to some fresh air, it’s amazing how exercise and a change of scenery can help you become motivated!

Life Coaches

To insure no one misunderstands my message on coaching, I do have book recommendations that I think are great. To me, a coach is someone who can inspire, motivate, teach, or just get you out of bed in time to hop on the school bus. Some have PHD’s and some have GED’s. Some know what they are talking about because they’ve personally suffered from depression or survived cancer or maybe their mom died when they were 10 and had to live in different foster homes. Then, others grew up in Beverly Hills, graduated from Harvard and they’re savvy marketers, out to make a buck by regurgitating the same fluff that everyone else is pushing. They’re the seagulls diving in to get the bread crumbs! My point is, if you want to invest in a life coaching service, be sure it’s legitimate.

Sometimes, the best life coach is mom.

That’s a really long post on the word “Why”.

Thanks for sticking with me!

The concept of having a positive attitude should never be asked the Kerrigan question. Nancy Kerrigan had the right attitude. She couldn’t do anything about the injury. It happened. But she chose to work long hours to rehabilitate her self so she could try to compete. In my opinion, she was the top champion that year!

If I’m honest, in her shoes I might have quit, feeling like the Olympic Games were over for me. If Kerrigan did that…the story would have a different ending.

The Kerrigan question will always pop up. But try to retrain yourself and ask instead; “Why Not?”

It can make the difference between becoming an author or a drunk. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but do you get where I’m going?…

A positive attitude can save your life in a bad situation.If you  have a story or comment to share on this topic, I’d love to hear from you! Maybe I can write about it to prove the power of  positive thinking. And I’ll do that ….for free!

Until tomorrow friends!

LU

Why God?

I asked for wisdom…
And God gave me problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity…
And God gave me brains and the strength to work.
I asked for courage…
And God gave me danger to overcome.
I asked for love…
And God gave me troubled people to help.
I asked for favors…
And God gave me opportunities.
I received nothing I wanted.
I received everything I needed.
My Prayer has been answered.

-Anon., (of Islamic origin)

Book Recommendations:

• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

• How to Be Happy, Dammit!; A cynic’s guide to spiritual happiness by Don Zinzell
  
• Quickie Stickies: 100 Pick-Me-Ups forWhen You’re Feeling Unglued by Karen Salmansohn
• The Bounce Back Book: How to Thrive in the Face of Adversity,Setbacks, and Losses by KarenSalmansohn

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