Hey, how's it going people? This is Brad H. once again, and I'd like to welcome you all to another edition of 'Brad H.'s Perspective'! I hope that things have been going well for everyone as of late. I know that the planet has been dealing with some trying times as of late, but hopefully you all are maintaining wherever you are. As some of you may already be aware of, I'm here once again to give my perspective on a particular topic for the week that I've been thinking about as of late. Before getting into the topic for the week, I'd like to quickly give my opinion on something that I'm sure many of you are aware of; the protests that took place in the NFL last Sunday. Again, this is just my opinion, so I don't expect everyone to agree with me in regards to this. Now from what I've seen so far, the response to the protests by the NFL players and owners has been fairly positive. However, there has also been quite a bit of criticism as well. Now I'm not in the heads of the players that protested and spoke out against the president, but just from a solely generalized perspective, I don't personally feel that the players not standing for the American flag and national anthem means they are not patriotic or un-American. Part of being an American in my opinion means holding onto the values and principles that you believe in. Some of the greatest leaders that we've had in the history of our country had views that went against the grain, but still maintained respect for American culture. We have the freedom of speech here, but it feels like we only have freedom of speech for as long as it doesn't go against what the majority wants. It shouldn't like that in my opinion. Even if you disagree with the protesters, or someone that doesn't share the same beliefs as you do, those people have the right to peacefully protest if they choose to do so. That's pretty much what I wanted to say real quick in regards to that topic. Now it's time to move onto the real topic for the week that deals with using our struggles for experience.
Now that I've gotten all of that out of the way, I'd like to go ahead and give my weekly disclaimer before diving into the week's topic. We're all aware of the fact that we all have different views and opinions when it comes to life. The idea here is not to focus on what is deemed to be right or wrong, but rather to give some inspiration and hope to others that will aid in helping encourage us all to view topics in a manner that we not not have before. As always, any feedback or thoughts are welcome. I'm just one individual, and since there are various ways of viewing things, the feedback of others is something that I can learn from as well. Now onto how this week's topic came to be. I recall having a conversation with my sister about a week and a half ago, and I remember telling her something along the lines of how our struggles can help us in the future. Besides the dialogue of the discussion that we were having, I honestly have no idea where I came up with this. Then I got to thinking about how most people try to save money for later on down the road, and then the idea came together of tying the two together. I personally think this is a pretty good analogy to compare these two things to. Although saving money and struggles may be two different things, there is one main similarity they have; the ability to help alleviate the damage that may occur when emergencies strike. I want to stress again that these are just my own personal opinions, so there isn't any right or wrong. Hopefully some of you can identify with where I'm coming from.
One of the ideas that I've mentioned and tried to convey on many occasions in previous posts deals with the idea of we as people not seeing things clearly when we're facing struggles. Often times when we find ourselves in the middle of a stressful situation, we allow our emotions to overtake our ability to rationally see things. There are different degrees to this, and everyone different when it comes to this but from a general perspective, this is often the case. The reason I bring this is up is to show that most people only see the bad and darkness whenever things are going bad, which is totally understandable. But with that said, for everything that happens whether it is for good or for bad, there is always something that can be learned from it. I'm sure many of you have heard the famous quote by Nelson Mandela that goes; "I never lose, I either win or learn." Learning from an experience isn't always guaranteed, but it is something that can happen if you're willing to open your mind up to it. Now when we find ourselves in hardships, we often allow the negative that comes from it to cloud our minds to the point where the negative is the only thing we see. The ability or willingness to try and learn from the situation often gets thrown completely out of the window. In my opinion, this is exactly why we need to try and work on changing our mindsets. Is it easy? Absolutely not, but as with anything else in life, consistency and practice can help get us there.
Now I'm sure that some of you may not equate struggles with anything positive. However, if you work on changing your mindset to see that there is hope even in the darkness, the idea of changing can become a reality. Now in order for us to see our struggles as experience for down the road in life, we have to start looking at our lives as if it were a savings account. The same way that you acquire money and save it is the same mentality when it comes to the experiences we have in life. So in order for us to bank those experiences into our life savings, we have to be willing to not only endure the struggles in our lives, but also willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations that can help us to grow. As I mentioned earlier, it is not easy to see things this way in the midst of uncomfortable times. Now going back to the banking analogy, your money grows as you continue to deposit money into savings right? The same thing can apply when it comes to our struggles as well. From my perspective, when we endure our struggles and come through them, we not only come away with an added sense of confidence and pride from being willing to endure. We also gain knowledge and wisdom that we can use towards other things that may come our way in the future. Just like you put away money for a rainy day, the struggles and experiences that we go through can be deposited for future events as well. Again, it is all changing your mindset. That is something that I'm probably going to say on here till I'm blue in the face. It's all about the mindset folks.
The goal with this topic isn't necessarily to tell anyone that they should change their viewpoints. The main thing that I'm hoping for others to see is that everything that we go through that we see as being bad isn't always the case. Yes it is true that it can be very difficult to see the glass half full when you're going through things. However, you'll find that when you continue to stick with life and not give up on yourself when things are tough, you'll find that you'll be a better person for it in the future. Just like that bank account will grow with investing, your life will grow when you continue to look at those struggles like investments. I'm a firm believer that everything that we have been through already, as well as the things we are going through at this moment is just preparation for the future. Some may not feel that this is the case, but I do believe that our struggles can be seen in a different light when we open up our minds to change. Difficult, yes. Impossible, no. The quote for the week that I came across and I'm going to bring this to a close with comes courtesy of Napoleon Hill. It reads; "Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle". I think this quote reaffirms the idea that there is something positive that can come from the struggles that we have to endure.
Well that is all that I have for this week my people. Thank you all once again to those of you that stopped by for another edition of 'Brad H's Perspective'! As I always mention before signing off for the week, I hope that there was some meaning and understanding that could be gained from this topic. I hope again that some of you out there can relate. We have arrived at another weekend, so I hope that everyone enjoys themselves. There is a lot happening across the globe, and things are even more unsettling here in the states as of late. Despite all the negativity happening, we all have to be positive and resolute in becoming the best version of ourselves. Stick to the plan my people, and lets keep on pressing forward. I'll see you all in the next one. Till then, I wish you all the best. Peace!
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