When times are hard (emergency kit)

In hard times, it is sometimes hard to find a reason as to why you should be pursuing your 10,000 hours. 

There can be financial problems, there can be tough times with family members, and your business could be in   odd water due to some external factor.

In the event that no one is available to talk it out, you will have to rely on yourself. Fortunately there are some things you can do in order to not give up and find the motivation to pursue your dear goal.

I call it the 10K emergency kit. It was very useful during the last semester of university as I had 5 classes and a full-time job. Let me put you in context.

My regular week day was the following ;

7h30   :  Wake up

9h00   :  Work

17h00 :  Finish work

18h00 :  Courses/classes/lab

21h00 :  Study/review

1h00   :  Sleep

As you can see I was busy around the clock, on week-ends, I had to run errands, spend time with my girlfriend (she was very supportive), and most importantly study.

I am not going to describe my mid-term and finals, it was pretty horrible.

At times, I was discouraged. I did not know why I put myself in so much work. I said to myself that it was not worth giving up, it hurts enough now, it will be worse if I quit. I downloaded a couple of songs I found to be motivating and uplifting. I had a short video in this playlist too. I had my objectives laid out in front of me. Even my desktop picture had something to remind me why I was doing this.

Change your space; make sure this room is dedicated to you and your relaxation. If you live in a one-bedroom, go outside and find that special place.

At Rock Bottom, this saved me. I was stressed out, tired and felt very lonely. This “shrine” helped me consolidate the rest of my energy, reassured me and made me feel calmer .I felt more relaxed while studying for a subject that I had a hard time tackling properly.

Hard times, resistance, challenge will undoubtedly happen. You have to be ready to face whatever is thrown at you. It is the way life differentiate the good from the great. The risk is that you may lose focus during those times. Losing focus can set you back a couple of days, weeks and maybe years.

For those interested, here are the songs I listen to when I go through these moments. These are personal and give me the right dosage of energy and mental relaxation.

Track 1 – The Cross of Changes – Enigma

Track 2 – The Voice – John Farnham

Track 3 – Life’s What You Make it – Talk Talk

Track 4 – A Change Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Video - How bad do you want it?

If times allows - An interview with Will Smith

Book – None so far [I am open to suggestion]

Do your own track listing, get your motivating video, sharpen that mental picture of yourself (See First Steps post) and share your own emergency kit.

Yvens