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Situations and Circumstances: Navigating Life’s Challenges

By Phil/Kords | Published 16 February 2025 | No Comments

Situations and Circumstances are a part and parcel of life. It is filled with unpredictability and often coloured by the things you desire, things you want and some things you never get. Overcoming challenges depends on many factors which may include the easy and tough situations.

Life’s situations and circumstances teach you many life lessons and how to deal with tough situations. We gain perspective when we discuss it with our close ones or learn it ourselves. Let’s face it – life can be unfair. So, what can we do?

In this blog post, I will delve into life circumstances and overcoming challenges you may have similarly had.

Let us define each term. What is a situation?

Situation is the set of things happening and the conditions at a particular time and place.

Disclaimer: Let me set your expectations straight – this is not a financial literacy blog post nor will I be giving solutions to financial situations under any circumstances. I am not a financial expert. What I present here are facts of life that all of us go through (and some of my rantings).

What is a Circumstance?

A Circumstance is a fact or event that makes a situation the way it is.

What is the difference between the two?

A Situation is what you are currently under, a circumstance is what the situation is under. For example, under the “circumstances” of my work-life imbalance, I cannot post blogs consistently and frequently online. Despite the circumstances, I do have situations when I can write blogs whenever I have the time. Which means, I have to make the most of the time I have in hand.

This is me adapting and using the situation and circumstance to my advantage. During lunchtime, on one occasion my reporting manager asked me, “How do you manage to blog, run a YouTube channel, and create music despite having a family and juggling other responsibilities?”

Would it be possible for me to manage my time better if I had to manage only one project rather than all three? Perhaps. But I created the situation under the circumstances to keep myself busy. Rather than spending time on frivolous things like watching series all the time, I spend most of my time with my projects. With little time left, I catch up on the series or movies over the weekends. I can still manage albeit with difficulty.

The takeaway here: don’t bite more than you can chew!

Despite what I mentioned, I still prioritise my family life, spending time with my 4+ year-old daughter, mom and wife. My wife and I had previously decided that our daughter would come first. My projects are secondary.

Life circumstances are such that to change their respective situations, they must turn to God. However, I will not stress religion in this post, but it is one of my recommended methods: prayer. I will delve into this in future blog posts.

A deeper introspection of overcoming challenges:

Every time I go shopping I have to check the price tag before I buy, not that I cannot afford it. Still, I had a gazillion other financial responsibilities before it. Things like caring for my family, running the house and being prepared for any eventuality. The root cause of my financial struggles is the inability to purchase what I want without worrying about my current bank balance.

Many people go through the price-tag-checking method. Some of us do not wish to compromise on our finances and hence it is always good to be safe. Individuals do exits who have a disposable income. If you’re reading this then obviously you aren’t one of them.

What am I doing to change is monetising my hobbies like writing, Youtubing and producing music. Although my blog is monetised with Google Ads, the revenue is negligible. Financial stability isn’t alien to me, I know what I lack and am taking steps to circumvent it. It is a long drawn and arduous process but something is better than nothing!

Sometimes, life situations are temporary – lasting for a few hours to maybe even days or longer. It may affect the personal growth. The resolution depends on the extent of the problem within the situation. Under what circumstances are you prepared to resolve the situation?

Life Lessons:

Situations and Circumstances are not restricted to the lower classes. Even the upper class have problems. We perceive them as having no problems. But I am certain they are good at hiding their problems. We assume since they have truckloads of cash, they may have little to no problems at all. This may be incorrect.

One thing I do know for sure is that at least they are financially stable and have to slug it out to maintain their lifestyle. You need to earn at least the same amount of money to maintain that lifestyle.

Earning more money introduces a change in your lifestyle for the better. Expensive things start becoming affordable. Things you could not afford suddenly appear as you desire and unaffordable places you wanted to visit become a reality.

I believe problems exist in some form or the other and most others may have it.

What we conveniently ignore is the compromise under the circumstances the situation compels us to do. In the example highlighted above, my salary isn’t big enough to be unbothered by the price tags the things hold. It is a compromise. It is more akin to surviving rather than living. Many people, including myself, share the same wish as you – to be free of such constraints on buying whatever pleases us. A little bit of splurge gives us the financial freedom we so seek. Are our finances the same as before, better or is it worse? Think about it if you want to get out of the financial mess.

What better if we do not get into the mess in the first place? Not many people realise it until we gain some financial literacy. I am a little knowledgeable in home finance but little to nothing in investments which I intend to change.

Remember, when you are younger, it is safer to take risks rather than do it when you’re older.

Controlling things rather than letting them control you:

I am not a control freak but love to be in control of the situation. What can you do when your finances aren’t in order? I am no financial expert nor an investment expert. It is always prudent to take financial advice from a financial professional. Sure it may cost you but that cost is easily recovered through investment returns. I do not have any substantial investments, most of the time, my wife handles such things.

Now you may get the hint on what I am about to mention. Yes, one of the many ways of overcoming financial crunch is to invest or start a business. I won’t end here, this is one of the many solutions that exists. I am exploring a few.

Keep your finances in check always. I make notes of the expenses anticipated expenses and keep a separate amount for unexpected ones. At the end of the month, I ought to have some savings. It may never go as planned but it is worth the shot.

How about avoiding getting the situation in the first place? Wouldn’t that help discourage bad circumstances from taking shape? The answer to that is no one has seen the future and how things shape when or after we make that decision. So, taking up that job may seem lucrative with the handsome salary in hand but the job profile, colleagues, work-life balance and commuting distance matters. When we keep the latter parts in mind, we can ensure we do not regret taking up the wrong job offer. Yes, we may miss a few things but at the end of the day, we will not have any regrets.

Experience teaches us to be careful about things. Especially the unknown, it is the least we can do to change the situation to make our circumstances better. For example, changing jobs due to a toxic work culture may open opportunities for things we miss the most. I miss the peace of mind I had as a content writer and look forward to gaining it back with the right profile in the right organisation.

Sometimes quitting isn’t so bad. Quitting may be the only way out in some situations, and sometimes escape is all you need to free your mind.

How to navigate difficult life circumstances and when should you quit?

Quitting isn’t bad. Especially when the circumstances change, to change the situation, sometimes quitting may be the only option among options. Does the current situation affect your mental health? The impact of situations and circumstances on mental health is another red flag.

While there are ways to stay positive in tough situations, not all of us are built the same. We all have varying degrees of how much stress we can take until we break. The question to ask is how long can we withstand bending before we ultimately break? It is pertinent and precarious at the same time.

When the strain of mental health challenges begins to take its toll, a significant shift in mindset often unfolds, leading to a greater focus on problem-solving. During difficult times, individuals may discover various strategies to maintain a positive outlook, even when circumstances feel overwhelming. However, it’s important to recognize that not everyone possesses the same emotional resilience; some minds may struggle to endure prolonged periods of stress and uncertainty. Engaging in self-assessment becomes a valuable tool in this context, as it allows individuals to gauge the extent of their uncertainty and navigate their feelings with greater clarity.

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