The seasons of life are quick and ever changing. One second something notable happens in your life and then in a blink of an eye you're marveling in shock over just how long ago that something actually happened. It can sometimes leave you feeling like your strapped to the seat of a never ending roller coaster. One that never slows to the end of the track, stops, the safety harness raises, and then you exit, along with all the rest of the passengers.
Some of the lows, or dips that you experience are mostly quick and soon forgotten. Some of them are, well, not so brief. A few days pass and you realize that you've been saying the phrases "Oh, I'm just not having any luck today", or "Could this day get any worse?" a little too often. In fact, more like a few times a day for the past couple of weeks.
So it turns out, for whatever reason, you find yourself stuck smack dab in the depths of a slump. And I have found from personal experience, that once you hit that inevitable slump, it is a very slippery slope. The dangerous negativity of the failed attempts, missed opportunities, and past due deadlines start to suck the life out of you. And soon, you transform into a giant red bullseye for darts of criticism. And who is standing behind the taped line tossing those darts at your pride and self esteem? You. Because, like most ambitious women, we turn out to be our own worst critic.
So you're in a slump..on the downward dip of your roller coaster. What do you do? How do you get back to the top?
One Word: Inspiration.
Inspiration is your one-way ticket back to the top of your roller coaster. Back to that part of the ride where you're soaring high with confidence, brimming over with ideas and creativity, and killing it with one success after another.
So now you now what you need, the next question is where to find it.
A quiet walk in the park, a newspaper or magazine article, a coffee date with an old friend, a phone conversation with an older sister. Sometimes I get it from certain lyrics in a song, or the inner strength I gain from grueling through an intense workout. But whatever your form of drawing that much need inspiration may be, always be aware of it. Always be prepared to use it when you feel your luck taking a downhill plunge.
Sometimes you have to endure the lows and stick it out. Find a way to hold your head up and make it through the fog until that wave of inspiration splashes down on you and washes away the negativity. Only then will you be able to wake up with that ambition and motivation that drives you to do the things that you know you are capable of doing. The YOU that lands the next big client, secures that big job order; the you who leads without fear, motivates those who surround you, and hell, even cracks a smile now and then.
You, once again, back in the driver's seat and roaring ahead with a full tank of gas and a clear road in your horizon...
