How to Find Inner Peace When LIFE Throws You a Curve Ball

              “Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would…likely be worth it.”

– Harvey MacKay

Finding inner peace through some of life’s “curve balls” that WILL be thrown at you can be quite difficult to navigate. Life has its own sense of “humor.” When good things happen, everyone is happy; when things do not go as we had hoped or as planned, it can be devastating. When life happens and it is sad, awful, heartbreaking, shocking, it can be hard to stay afloat and not drown in your thoughts, feelings, sadness, even pity. It is tough. Life is much like a roller coaster; all the ups and downs, twists and turns can leave one “sick,” either physically, mentally, emotionally, or even spiritually, and our faith can be tested.

What I have learned through all of my struggles, triumphs, and tribulations, is to be present with my feelings, heart, and mind; to not only be present when it is good ,but present when it is bad. All of the struggles are worth it. There is a much bigger picture in this thing called life. Live it, feel it, accept it, and move on. Sounds “easy,” but it is not so easy for everyone. 

Life at times was not always so easy for me; but I have learned. Having been through the death of my mother, death of all my grandparents, some family and friends, sickness within my family, toxic relationships, failures, lost dreams, and missed opportunities, I have learned. I have learned to turn my hardships into my motivators. Be grateful for the hard times, be grateful for the good times—they are all necessary. Not only does life present some very cruel lessons, but life WILL give you some truly amazing gifts. Beauty can be found anywhere if you open your eyes to it. Beauty is in the sunshine outside, the sparkle in your children’s eyes and smile, the beautiful spring flowers blooming. Find your hope; keep your faith. Life can be tough but so are you.

“Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and awful it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the awful, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just living heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, awful, ordinary life. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”

– L.R. Knost, simpleasthatblog.com

When you’re struggling, you might ask yourself, “Why me?” Well, have you ever thought, “Why not me?” Just a thought. I heard that on TV a few years ago after the death of my mother and it resonated with me. At the time, I didn’t give it too much thought. After many years, though, I finally understand it. “Why not me?” The answer is, anything can happen to anyone at any given time. Not to minimize anyone’s struggles or losses, but this is my truth—life happens; things go unplanned. When life throws you a bad pitch, you either get ready to hit it out of the ballpark or be willing to wait for three strikes and be out. Things will happen that you will have no control over, but you are not helpless or hopeless. You are still in control: control of how you choose to receive the situation and how you respond to the situation. THIS choice is yours.

I believe in hope, I believe in my faith, I believe in a better tomorrow. Life is meant to be beautiful. Some things will come easy, others will be hard. Some things will bring you a tremendous amount of pain, but I am proof that we have the ability to always change our outcome. We do not have to be a victim. I choose to be a victor. I choose to live and love life. I choose to laugh. I hope you will as well. When life DOES throw you those nasty little curve balls, I hope they do not knock you down. If they do, know your strengths, hold onto hope, and rely on your faith, family, and friends.

If you are struggling, no matter how big or small you think it is, I hope you can find some inner peace: with yourself, for yourself, for your family. If you know anyone struggling, be present for them, be a friend, be a listening ear with an open heart. Never lose hope; you got this!