I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I try to surround myself with positivity as often as possible. Whether I’m reading books, listening to podcasts, or even having general conversations with my family and friends, I continue to make a considerable effort to maintain a positive outlook and find the good in a society that remains hyper-focused on the bad. That being said, I still have my bad days. We all do, right? Even those that I listen to on a regular basis, that have these hourlong (or more) podcasts filled with motivation and inspiration, have their fair share of bad days too.
Call it naivety, but I used to picture these motivational speakers as bulletproof, so to speak. I pictured them walking through every day, smiling like Tony Robbins and lifting up those around them. Needless to say, this is not the case. If you ever meet someone who is smiling and happy 100% of every day and night, you should run because they’re most likely a robot that has teleported to earth from planet “Yeah, Right”.
With an increasing curiosity of what lies in the positive side of the spectrum, I find myself taking a deeper and deeper dive into what shapes our perspective in relation to our environment. In other words, when are our problems actually problems?
I’ve had a string of bad days lately. Granted, not every part of every day is bad. For example, yesterday, even though I was stressed about multiple things, I was blessed to have the opportunity to see my parents and have a nice brunch with them. I think it’s important to always reflect on the blessings we have, no matter how bad things may seem. Although the time with them was wonderful, stress and worry crept back in on the way home.
We’re in the middle of so many projects around here and there’s a mountain of projects waiting to be started next. Money is flowing every which way but in, and it seems like each day presents us with another obstacle or setback. With only so much time that I’m able to devote to these projects, things can feel quite overwhelming at times. I know I’m a member of a pretty big club here, and I was fortunate to receive a stern reminder yesterday evening, a reminder about perspective.
It was the end of the evening and I was trying to find a few minutes to unwind before bed so I decided to check in on our Instagram account. The first thing that popped up in my feed was a suggested post from an account called @hyperkidsafrica. It was a comical dance routine set to Michael Jackson’s song ‘Smooth Criminal’. It was a joy to watch so I went to their page and continued to watch many of their amazing dance videos. It was a nice break from my own thoughts but as I scrolled through these posts, a common theme stood out to me.
In each of these videos, these kids are smiling ear to ear and are experiencing a joy that is downright infectious. I was laughing and bobbing my head as if I was right there with them. I started to notice their surroundings a bit more with each video. If you were to take the kids out of these surroundings, it’d paint a much different picture. There were crumbling stone walls, broken down vehicles, makeshift shanty houses, and portable toilets that offered the narrative that running water is not the norm. This intrigued me so I took a look through their bio at the top of their page. They’re a group of kids from Uganda, and their bio offers a link to where you can donate to help feed them, and to help with rent and other costs of living.
Yes, you read that right. They’re not doing this for fame, money, or material possessions, they’re simply doing it as a way to afford the very basic necessities of life.
As I sat there and watched video after video, I was overcome with a sense of gratitude. I was grateful that these kids were placed before me as a reminder that I so often mistake such minor inconveniences for real problems.
My growing lists of projects and the shortage of cash flow to fund them? The projects on my farm with my wonderful family, running water, controlled climate, hot homemade meals each day, a vehicle for each of us, and the freedom to do whatever it is that we choose to set our minds to? Well boo freakin’ hoo. Poor helpless me.
And the obstacles and setbacks that we face as of lately? The minor vehicle repairs, the worry over whether or not we’ll have all the money needed to enjoy our trip to the beach in a couple of weeks, or the worsening drought that keeps bringing predators to our door as they take some of our livestock that we’re so fortunate to have? Oh, the horror! I’m surprised we can live through such torture.
Yet here are these kids, surrounded by (what we would call) slums that offer a bleak outlook and a million different reasons for them to feel like they don’t have a chance at a happy existence, singing and dancing with the brightest smiles on their faces. I assure you, I checked for any videos where they were instead sitting around, pouting and feeling sorry for themselves, yet there wasn’t one. Nope, all that was there were countless examples of what life is truly all about.
These kids might not appear to have much, but they are rich beyond words. Their spirits, their hearts, are full of promise and hope. They refuse to let real problems and true obstacles convince them otherwise. Their smiles send a crystal clear message to the world that says “We are not the product of our environment, and we will not be broken.”
As embarrassed as I am to admit my stress regarding my recent “first world problems”, I felt it necessary to share this as a reminder to us all that these modern conveniences at our fingertips should not be taken for granted and that our “problems” in relation to these conveniences are laughable when put into perspective. If this were a YouTube video, this would be the part where I firmly plant my hands on the table, stand up, and, with a raised voice, say “WE DON’T HAVE PROBLEMS, PEOPLE!” If we can’t show up when a minor setback comes calling, how can we expect to show up when true adversity comes knocking at our door? It’s the same as training to run a marathon by jogging around the block the day before. Endurance is built over time. These inconveniences are merely a mile within a quest of miles.
Real problems do exist, mind you, both here at home and across the globe. Our veterans, who struggle through each day as they try and regain their place in the civilian world? They have problems. Our homeless, who have no idea where their next meal is coming from? They have problems. Our sick, who are fighting each and every day to overcome a grim diagnosis as they cling to all of the life they possibly can? They have problems. These kids, who likely face tremendous obstacles in regard to health, education, and a prosperous future? They have problems yet they sing, dance, and smile right in the face of adversity.
All of us, whether healthy or sick, rich or broke, happy or sad, have so much to be grateful for. For those that are on the front end (Healthy, Rich, or Happy), I’d encourage you to seek out those who are on the opposite end and lift them up. Remind them that they are loved and they matter. Share your light, and fight their darkness alongside them. And if you’re able to, just as these kids do… dance. I dare you to try and not smile while you’re dancing. If you’re still not smiling, just get with me. My dancing will have you laughing so hard that you have that brief moment of panic because you can’t breathe ;). You see, problems don’t exist when you’re dancing. Trust me, I’ve seen the proof.