Nothing Is As Bad As It Seems!

On September 16, 2007 I wrote this post at the North Star Mental Fitness Blog. As I read it again, I realize that it is very pertinent and relevant to today’s economic climate. Therefore, I chose to publish it again.

“Nothing is as good as it seems. Nothing is as bad as it seems. Reality is somewhere in between.” Lou Holtz made this statement in talking about Notre Dame’s dismal start to the 2007 season.

There is no doubt that Notre Dame has played poorly this year. Lou Holtz is a veteran coach. What a wonderful message to give to a struggling team. “Nothing is as bad as it seems” is a message of hope and encouragement.

Too often we engage in catastrophic thinking. Life sometime seems so overwhelming. We struggle to cope with the recurring stresses in our lives. We feel stuck in circumstances that seem overbearing. We tried everything and nothing seems to work. We feel defeated. Personality conflicts endure. Misunderstandings and insensitivities abound. Losses in life accumulate. Maybe it’s a job loss or declining health. Maybe it’s a death of someone close to you. Maybe it’s an illness of a child or family member. Maybe its financial or spiritual. Maybe it’s called midlife crisis, divorce, bankruptcy or an illness.

We are convinced it’s as bad as it seems.

Last week almost everyone was convinced that the University of Michigan’s football team was as bad as it seemed. Yesterday, they won convincingly. They were led to victory by their mentally tough halfback, Michael Hart. Michael Hart was convinced that the University of Michigan football team was not as bad as it seemed and he promised a victory against Notre Dame.

Michael Hart’s belief in his team, mental fitness, confidence, and courage turned the erroneous conclusion “it’s as bad as it seems” into “its not as bad as it seems“.

I hope it is reassuring for you to realize when you are stretched to the breaking point and emotionally devastated “it’s not as bad as it’s seems “. There will be solutions. There will be sufficient inner strength. There are people who will care and be there for you. There are solutions inside of yourself to solve your problems. Look inside of yourself rather than expecting others to change. Rally your resources and realize tomorrow’s a different day.

What you do today, may work tomorrow as tomorrow is a different day. What you do tomorrow can be different than what you did today.

You can go from losing to winning even after you’ve had significant defeats and losses. You can remain confidence in yourself in spite of all of the problems in your life. Courageously think and work to turn your life around.

Remember, the Law of Attraction. How you think about your life creates your life. When life is at it’s worse, your thinking doesn’t have to be at it’s worst. Think; then actively pursue with confidence and courage the way you want your life to be.

“Nothing Is As Bad As It Seems” is a hopeful and encouraging statement for us to consider, when we are about to lose all hope and motivation. Even regarding our current economy, might ”Nothing Is As Bad As It Seems” be a better thought that a doomsday thought?

Remember, We Live within the Environment Created by Our Thoughts!

Dr. Hal

Life and Mental Fitness Coach

If you want to know more about Michael Hart and his overcoming the death of her sister.