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How do YOU do it?

I received a lovely email recently whereby the writer was painting me as some form of saint. But the question of “how do you do it” is one I have been asked before. Four kids, a business, house, dogs, a strict fitness regimen, clean-eating, volunteering, part-time MBA. This is my life and to me, nothing to be awarded a cape over.

Ironically, the question of “how do you do it” is one I too ask other people. I am inspired all the time. How do you have a job that is rigid and requires you to show up at a certain time, leave at a certain time, eat at a certain time, prevents you from seeing your child’s Christmas play, picking them up when sick, and restricts your vacation plans? How do you commute 1 hour or more to work in consistently terrible traffic? How do you manage the demands of your stressful job as a police officer, lawyer, adjuster, doctor? How do you manage the demands of caring for a sick or disabled child or an ailing parent? A medical or mental health condition? Single parenting? How did you lose 50 pounds, quit smoking, overcome cancer, beat rare odds, or kick an addiction? How did you cope with the death of your mother, father, child, sibling or spouse? How do you survive on such a restricted income, or with no support from others? Homelessness? Lack of education? How did you deal with the sudden loss of your job, the trauma you experienced as a child, or the daily struggles you might experience as someone with a disability?

We all need to remember that our own tolerances for the trials of life are very much determined by the experiences we have had up to this point. We are all saints – worthy of superhero status – for something. Our behavior, thoughts, beliefs, and practices are all explained by our past, our upbringing, and our genetics. We are all doing our best. And our future, I believe, will be ours to create with the choices we have. Perspective is everything. So, while I go about my day thinking about all the wonderful people that I encounter and that inspire me, do the same. And tell me, how do YOU do it?