What are the secrets to staying motivated during emotionally difficult times? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world..
Answer by Ronald Fry, Speaker, Entrepreneur, Author of Hammerhead Six, on Quora:
What are the secrets to staying motivated during emotionally difficult times? This is a great question and one that others are more qualified to answer, but I will take a shot at it. Physical, mental, and emotionally difficult times are a normal part of life and can either break us or be used to forge our character. I have had emotionally difficult times as an individual, as a son, as a husband, father, and as a soldier. These are the times when I have had to lean on my God, my family, my friends, and focus on the big picture to get through.
In the last chapters of Hammerhead Six, I share a very personal, painful situation that occurred during our mission to the Pech Valley. I caused collateral damage that affected a local family, the village, and the Afghan soldiers on my camp. It was a situation that pushed my emotions and grief to the limit. I was humbled and accountable. I reflected on the best way to navigate the situation and continued to think about the big picture and why we were there in the first place. The desire to make things right and accomplish our mission forced me to focus on a solution instead of my own emotions. I chose to face it head on regardless of the consequences. The family and I were reconciled, the villagers appreciated that we acknowledged our mistake, and the mission continued successfully.
In retrospect, the personal growth that I attained from navigating the tragedy and not losing perspective was tremendous. I feel that my character, empathy, and emotional spectrum was stretched. It has become a bitter sweet memory for myself and others that experienced it with me.
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