Making Your Boat Storm Proof

The more I work with clients and talk to people all over the world, the more I realise that no one escapes from life’s challenges. I liken these to storms. Sometimes life’s sea gets a bit choppy, at others a force 12, even a hurricane blows through. We have to stay afloat or sink…

Everyone will experience events they find hard to deal with – when their boat gets rocked so hard it can seem impossible to recover. Some will encounter more of life’s storms than others but absolutely everyone has to face up to issues that have the potential to significantly interfere with their wellbeing and lives.

Most of us are reluctant to admit when we’re having a rough time or struggling to cope. Social media sites such as Facebook can give us a false perception that everyone else’s life is pretty perfect. This can make us feel inadequate when our lives don’t match the sunny smiles, calm seas and blue skies of ‘friends’ statuses. We can feel alone and adrift or even that somehow we’re at fault – that there’s something wrong with us.

Normal life is full of challenges. Everyone has their ups and downs. Life’s storms affect everyone and this realisation can help us to feel that we are not unusual or alone.

The good news is we can build up our strength during moments when the seas are calm, we can acquire coping skills and knowledge that help us to weather those storms when they hit, in full anticipation that they will.

I don’t mean we should live in fear of what the future holds – quite the opposite. We can learn to look forward in the knowledge that we have equipped ourselves with the skills to stay afloat through the roughest of seas. We can make our boat storm proof and know that although it will get rough, we won’t sink.

Having that knowledge means we can live life to the full in the here and now rather than worry about what the future holds in store.

…And yes, it’s also OK to call out the lifeboat when the storm feels overwhelming.