Life is unpredictable. Nobody understands it. When you think you have everything under control, is when everything comes down, leaving you not knowing what hit you.
The truth about life is sometimes when things go South, they indeed go South, and there is nothing you can do. In fact, the more you try to remedy them, the more they go South.
It is the end of the month. Your clients haven’t paid you. You have nothing on the bank. Your employees want to be paid. They don’t want to know where you will fish the money to pay them. Things have gone South.
You are sitting in your house. Between you and your ancestral poverty, you have 50 shillings. Then all of a sudden, your cooking gas and other shopping in the house conspire to be depleted simultaneously. Things have gone South.
You have been caught by your partner at the least time you expected. You own up to the mistake. You apologize until your throat runs dry. But the more you apologize, the more you make things worse. Things have gone South.
Your kid falls sick all of a sudden. It was okay during the day. Playing, laughing, and eating like a normal person. Then at night, things just go South and it becomes sick. It becomes sick when you have nothing on you.
What we fail to acknowledge as human beings is sometimes we have to let things that are going South, go South for us to find a new anchor and a new direction. Everything happens for a reason, if it does it was meant to be.
We have grown up being told: Hold on! Never give up! Keep pushing! Life is about holding on! No, my friend. Sometimes success is in letting it go. Sometimes you lose more by holding on. Sometimes you will keep pushing to your death.
What should you do when things go South?
First, by the time you realize things have gone South, they would have already gone South. 90 percent, there is nothing you can do at that point but to hope and wait.
When you realize that things have gone South, sit and reflect. Look at the chronology of events that led to them going South. If it is something that can be solved through communication, sit down and communicate.
About 50 percent of things that go South in our lives are because of our simple mistakes; ignorance, pride, poor communication, and generally being careless. So, before you blame someone else for things going South, look through the mirror first.
Here are 10 things to do when things go South:
Relax: why would you worry when you cannot fix it? Just relax and let things roll on their own.
Smile: a smile hides so many things. When everything is falling apart in your life, just hide behind a smile to avoid unsolicited opinions.
Find the solution: if it is something you can remedy, why not try and find a solution? Why make it bigger?
Let it go: sometimes you just say kaende kaende, and live to fight another day.
Communicate: communication is powerful. Our lack of communication is what breeds the most pain in our lives.
Ask for help: if you must, ask for help. Have friends or family you can trust. If it is money, ask for it too.
Find something else to do: don’t dwell on one thing for long. If something isn’t working, leave it. Focus on something else.
Have a drink: have a drink if it will help you survive and pull through. Don’t get addicted though.
Don’t take it out on others: sometimes you want to carry your frustrations and dump them on other defenseless beings in your life like children. Resist that.
Just give up: just give up and start all over. Kwani iko nini?
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