I
was reading an article the other day about a man by the name of Steven
Callahan. In 1982, he was crossing the Atlantic alone in his sailboat when
it struck something and sank. He was out of the shipping lanes and
floating in a life raft, alone. He had few supplies and his chances of
survival were small. Yet when three fishermen found him seventy-six (76)
days later (the longest anyone has survived a shipwreck on a life raft
alone), he was alive — much skinnier than he was when he started, but
alive.
His account of how he survived is fascinating.
Somehow he managed to catch fish and even rigged up a device which
evaporated the sea water to make fresh water.
The thing that was most remarkable, however, was
how he managed to keep himself going when all hope seemed lost. Imagine
how often he must have thought that there was no point in continuing with
the struggle. He was suffering a great deal. His life raft was punctured
and even after trying for more than a week to fix it, it was still leaking
air and wearing him out pumping it up. He was starved, desperately
dehydrated and totally exhausted. Giving up would have seemed to only
option.
Whenever you read about people who survive these
kinds of circumstances, you discover that they do something with their
minds that gives them the courage to keep going. Nevertheless, there are
many people in similarly desperate situations that give in or go mad. The
survivors do something with their thoughts that helps them find the
courage to carry on in spite of overwhelming odds.
For Callahan, he wrote simply, “I told myself I
could handle it. Compared to what others have been through, I was
fortunate. I told myself these things over and over.”
I read another story about a man who was locked
in solitary confinement as a prisoner of war for three years. The small,
damp room was barely large enough to take a couple of steps in any
direction. For three years, the man spent every waking hour imagining that
he was playing golf on some of his favourite courses. He would envision
taking each shot, and follow the ball to where it landed, then walk up to
the ball and take the next shot. He did this over and over again for three
years. Each shot was perfect and went exactly where he wanted it to go.
Every swing was flawless. He never shot over par. He looked forward to
waking up every day so that he could play some more golf. He eventually
survived the terrible ordeal and when he returned home at the end of the
war, he immediately made arrangements to go for a round of golf at his
favourite course. The man went out that day and shot par. Every ball he
hit went straight and he played the course just as he had for three years.
He survived prison because he was able to do something with his thoughts
that allowed him to handle a situation in which many others would have
given up.
Write down the following sentence: “I can
handle it.”
Next time it seems as if your own goals are far
off or when your problems seem too overwhelming, repeat that sentence over
and over again. “I can handle it. I can handle it.”
You will soon realize that your own circumstances
are only bad when compared to something better. When you understand that
others have been through much worse, you will acknowledge that you are
actually lucky, no matter how bad it may seem.
Whatever you’re going through, tell yourself
you can handle it. Compared to what others have been through, you’re
fortunate. Tell this to yourself over and over and it will help you muster
up enough courage to get through the rough spots.
Have a good week!
