Let me start by saying that I’m writing this blog on November 3, 2020 – election day. What triggered me to start writing this morning, was an article headline I read in an email. I subscribe to a multitude of business and HR related publications and will refrain from using the exact name of the publication, but you get the idea. Anyway, the headline read something to the effect that tomorrow, the day after today’s election, according to more than 65% of the population surveyed, would be the worst day of their lives. Let that sink in a moment….

Now, I understand the importance and the impact that the election brings to our lives. No doubt about it, the results of the election can potentially change our lives for the better, for the worse, or sometimes it doesn’t seem like anything really much changes. We seem to face the same issues over and over again, take one step forward then move two steps backward. I will admit that I am not a very “political” person. I’m the person that irritates most people – I won’t pledge allegiance to a particular party. I’ve tried, but I just can’t. Family and friends make assumptions about my leanings and I sit back and let them. I see good and bad in both parties and while we’re on the topic I do have a question. If we have Libertarian candidates on the ticket, why aren’t they invited to debate? Hmmm. The CPD – Commission on Presidential 
Debates is a non-partisan entity that governs this and the threshold set for participation is this: a candidate must be able to obtain a 15% level of support of the national electorate in order to participate. Both the Libertarian and Green parties sued to try and overturn this rule, but the court let it stand. Anyway, that’s all I’m going to say about that. I learned something new and that’s always good!

What I will get back to is the sentiment that the day after the election will be the worst day of many people’s lives. I don’t want to downplay anyone’s feelings, but may I suggest a dose of perspective? Here’s some: My cousin and husband lost their 44-year-old daughter to cancer last month; a husband lost his wife and their 3 children lost their mother. That was the worst day of their lives. If I thought about it, I could cite more examples of things that really do illustrate the worst day of someone’s life, but I think this drives the point home.

Perspective: Perspective is the way we see the world, our outlook, our point of view. Our perspective is the way we see or feel about things on any given day and it can be negative or positive. We can change our perspective if we want to, if we feel like it and if we choose to. If your perspective on something takes you into a hole of despair and depression, it may be time to dig deep within and try to find something more positive to focus on. It’s human to feel bad, scared, disgusted, disgruntled, etc. about things sometimes. However, if it’s taking over your life and keeping you locked in negativity, something needs to change. It can be even more challenging if you’ve surrounded yourself with people who are in the same place with you so be mindful of people and situations that trigger you. Start looking for and acknowledging things in your life to be grateful for. Start with the basics (food, shelter, etc.) and then grow from there. 

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful, showing appreciation and returning a kindness. Gratitude can be a powerful tool in resetting your perspective if you choose to. You can sit down and list what you’re grateful for, as mentioned above, but challenge yourself to think about those times in your life where you struggled through adversity and came out the other side, accomplishing something you didn’t think possible or with a better outcome than you ever would have expected. There is something particularly gratifying about things we have to work hard for, even though at the time we wish it were much easier. Some things in life that are more difficult than others or downright horrible and hard that we work our way through illustrate just how resilient we truly are.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back, recover quickly-toughness if you will. I think that we underestimate ourselves sometimes and our ability to be resilient when times get tough. Either that, or we forget what’s in the past and don’t draw from it as quickly as we could when a new challenge comes along. We’ve all had to be resilient through 2020 and I think all things considered, we’ve done pretty well. I know things are far from perfect for sure, but I really do think that most people are really trying. I’ll admit, I do operate on more on the “glass half full” team, but it’s healthier for me to do that. If the pandemic wasn’t enough, let’s toss in an election year which can be trying when all things are quote “normal.” We’ve made adjustments and sacrifices along the way, make no mistake, but in most cases are working together toward the common goal of get through this. What other choice do we have? 

It isn’t always easy to feel like you’re being resilient or that it’s even possible. This is the time when you can really surprise yourself by what you can do – what you can survive. You can even come out on the other side better than before. The presidential election is a temporary event with a temporary result that is repeated every four years. There is always the chance for your party to rally back four years later if they don’t prevail in any given election. Losing a loved one is not temporary, and you can’t replace them. If you’re upset or angry about the election results – I understand and I don’t want to minimize this, but please try to keep things in perspective. If the day after the election was truly the worst day of your life, I think you’d be pretty lucky. Draw on  perspective and gratitude, and trust in resilience to get you through tough times whatever they may be. You’re stronger than you know.   

J