When life’s curve balls hit us right in the liver, it’s normal (but useless) to complain about our bad fortune.
Christopher Reeve was understandably depressed right after his accident… until he had a singular visit:
On May 27, 1995, Reeve was thrown from his horse during an equestrian jumping event, landing on his head.
When he woke up four days later, he was paralyzed from the neck down, with a 50 percent chance of surviving.
“Way too fucked up” pretty much sums it up.
His situation struck fast and hard. He began to feel depressed and uncertain of his future.
Not a good way to embrace the will to live, urgently needed to overcome his situation.
But one day, the door of his room opened swiftly and a visitor in surgical gown and mask got in.
The man spoke in a heavy Russian accent.
— Hello. Are you Mr. Reeve? Alright. Alright… I’m the proctologist and I need to examine you!
Reeves’ mind felt something off… and then he got it. It was no proctologist, not even an actual doctor.
It was Robin Williams.
Reeve and Williams had been the closest friends for 25 years.
Watching his smiling friend reprising his role from “Nine months”, made Superman burst into laughter.
That moment helped him change his mindset. “If I can laugh, I can live”, he’d say.
That was all that mattered.
Reeve’s struggle makes most ‘problems’ seem like petty things.
But life has never been a competition, not with our victories and much less with our burdens.
The worst thing one could ever do is try to compare one’s situation to someone else’s.
We lose focus in what we have.
We cannot measure how much energy and will resides inside us.
Sadly, it usually takes one of life’s crucibles to tear apart our overthinking and tap into that fiery passion.
Is it really necessary to wait for a moment like that to prove ourselves what are we made of?
There’s a funny exercise you can apply every time you feel overwhelmed.
Imagine the worst possible scenario you could be living. Be cruelly creative. Visualize, feel, smell it.
Now imagine that you have just “teleported” to your current situation.
How does it look now?
I’m sure your feelings about your current situation are going to change, at least a bit.
You’re going to stand a bit more straight – Your body language follows your emotional state.
People around you take notice. Most of them do no harm… but others can take advantage.
Body Language awareness is essential for deciphering other’s feelings… and also monitor your own emotional states.
A great start: subscribe to my body language and persuasion tips here: https://knesix.com/subscribe
Much success!
Jesús Enrique Rosas
I unlock business leaders’ social skills.
