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It's so intriguing to fly with your imagination when you hit a high moment in life, a phase where you believe you are soaring. When you're already dreaming of humbling yourself in front of the audience while receiving that award.
But the next evening, you sit beside your cot facing the ceiling, wondering what's wrong with your life.
The same mind that surged up wondrous fantasies is now tearing you down with sabotaging thoughts that are convincing to the core.
What happened? At all?
Life is like a sine wave.
What goes up should come down and what goes down will come up, right?
But the weirdest part is that neither of the extremes reflects the truth.
We get blinded during our peaks because we lack the wisdom to not believe in them. And we become disappointed at the troughs because we laid our trust in the peaks.
In this post, I’ll share some thoughts and insights to consider that have helped me navigate my moments of elation and despair that might help with your journey too.
1. The Unknown Future
You still don’t know what the future has to offer.
Maybe it’ll confuse you. Maybe it’ll bring in what you’re waiting for. Maybe it’ll pull you down. Maybe it’ll redirect you to someplace else. Maybe it’ll punch you in the face. Maybe it'll heal you. Maybe it’ll make you a millionaire. Maybe it’ll put you down to a broke. You never know.
The key is to not anticipate—both the good moments and the bad ones—since anticipation is the fuel for both euphoria and depression.
2. True Connection With The Self
While the future remains unknown, the one constant you can rely on is the relationship with yourself. Strengthening that connection can help you weather both the highs and the lows a bit more gracefully.
I’ve learned, just like every other human being, through multiple ups and downs, that both extremes are merely an illusion created by our tiny minds. And giving attention to these extremes will only disconnect us more from our true selves.
During the peaks and the lows, remaining grounded boils down to having a true, deep connection with your core values and beliefs—that you can check on during times of adversity and also exaltation—to help you come back and realign if you ever get off-track.
If you want to hear my perspective on “establishing” and nurturing a true connection with the Self, consider subscribing (that’s the post for next week!).
3. Calmness
Have faith—both in yourself and the almighty.
The realization that things can change rapidly, and we all have plenty of evidence from our past, that things don’t always turn out as far as we often fear—or expect.
And that’s okay.
Because it’ll bring calmness and humility during your next peak and clarity and enlightenment with your next downfall.
Realizing that change is inevitable and beyond your control can help you find equilibrium—where neither peaks distract nor troughs intimidate you.
You learn to move through life’s ups and downs with the wisdom of the unknown future, maintaining that deep connection with your Self, and having a deep faith in your soul and the Almighty.
Things can change. Always believe.
Maybe for good. Maybe for some lessons.
Jasir Ibrahim
From Beyond Silence