Tag: suicide prevention

MANY ARE STILL FIGHTING

In the United States, today we will celebrate Veterans Day. Originally called Armistice Day which was created to celebrate the end of World War I, it was later changed to include all veterans. The purpose is to honor the debt that we all owe to those who have served in the protection of our freedoms and way of life.

What I would like to examine is the often overlooked irony and painful sacrifice that a lot of veterans go through. A man or woman will sign up for the armed forces for many reasons. Most of them involve an ideological, or moral conviction to defend the liberties they are afforded. They believe so strongly in these that they are willing to put their lives on the line to defend them. The irony is that the people who make the decisions to go to war, often do not show these same commitments themselves. The politicians and heads of state can be consumed in a quest for power, or a fit of ego. Still, the faithful soldier will go to battle to defend his country and his family.

The hard truth is that many of them never stop fighting. I am not talking about serving in the military until they die. No, many retire and can be haunted by what they saw or even had to do in battle. Some struggle openly. Some struggle silently. They are never free of their demons even if they choose not to show them. This can result in addictions to drugs, alcohol or nightmares that never go away. In this country, every 22 minutes a veteran will take their own life. Some never even spoke about the pain they were experiencing.

If you have a chance when you are out remember to thank a veteran for their service. Not just today, but every day. You may not agree with wars they have fought, and they might not have either, but they served for a belief to defend all that we hold dear. In anyway that you can, reach out to donate to, or even help at, agencies that serve veterans. These could save the life of one of the veterans we lose every 22 minutes. They served with spirit to help us. We owe them the same help.

JUST 1 DEGREE 🌡

While I continue to celebrate ice melting as winter turns to spring, I thought this quote was a great one to meditate on. It is the end of the week. It may have been a tough one. Things in the world are pretty crazy right now. There are lots of lives being turned upside down daily. The temptation to quit has never been greater for many. Sometimes just hanging on can seem like quite a struggle. Change and improvement can see like a far off horizon we cannot even see.

Think of the fact listed above. The shift of just one degree turns water, a liquid, into ice, a solid. One degree transforms it into something else entirely. I have heard this same advice applied to hitting a golf ball. Your swing can seem terribly far off, but if you just make a one millimeter change in the way you hit the ball, after going the distance, your ball will land in an entirely different area. The change is small. The result is huge. Can you see how a slight change in angle can result in an entirely different landing? How one degree can turn a liquid into a solid?

This is true is matter such as water and ice. It is true in golf and the effect of changing your starting angle. Do you know what else it is true in? Life. It can seem like everything around you is collapsing, and it might be. You might still be just one degree, or one millimeter off from a complete transformation of your life. Think of decisions we have made in our own life. Just like our examples above, the change was obvious right away, but given some time and distance, dramatic change will occur. Water takes a bit to freeze after you hit the temperature. That golf ball as to travel after you hit it at the new angle.

Think of decisions you have made. Maybe you decided to quit smoking. The change may not have happened by putting down that last cigarette, but making that decision can radically improve your life. Same with starting a new morning habit like meditation. You may not notice something on the first day, but after a month your days will feel radically different. How about writing in a gratitude journal at night? Once again, the first day may not yield any new results, but by the end of the month your life will be different.

Life may seem very overwhelming at the moment. Don’t give up. You might just be one degree, one millimeter or one decision away from an entirely different life.

YOU MATTER ALL OF THE TIME ⏰️

Here is a very important message all of us need to see. Yes, you reading this matter. It does not matter if you just accomplished the biggest goal of your life, or just made the biggest mistake of your life. You matter. If you are on top of the world, how you treat others who might not be there yet, or who can do nothing for you can tell a great deal of your character. Plus, how great does it feel when someone you think is further along in life than you, stops to compliment, encourage or help you? I know that makes a world of difference to me. You also serve as an example of how hard work and perseverance pays off. That could really help the determination of others who are struggling.

What about when you are seemingly on the bottom of the world? You may have messed up at work? Perhaps you made a mess of things at home? You certainly matter then. How you manage to treat people when you are hurting or struggling will not only speak volumes about your character, but inspire others. How valued do you feel when you know someone is really hurting but they still go out of their way to be nice or support you? You not only feel really loved, but your opinion of that person goes through the roof. When my beautiful lady still puts together a delicious meal even after a long day of making cakes, it has me loving her, and appreciating her more than ever.

When you are down on your luck, how you pick yourself up, and dust yourself off, can really inspire others. It also happens to be a great jazz song, but that is beside the point. We love reading stories of people who were down on their luck and came back. Why not have your story be one of them. Not only will you inspire those who know and love you, but looking back you may just inspire yourself.

You see, no matter who you are, or where your life is at, you matter. You can make a big difference and you can inspire others and yourself. Never give up. As cliche as it may sound, rock bottom makes a great foundation to build upon. Many great stories started with a very tough beginning. Yours may be the next great story.