Do You Know Someone Like This??

I’m always amazed at stories of people who, no matter what, seem to have the ability to make the best of a bad situation.  They seem to be able to make lemonade out of lemons, as cliched as the saying goes.  Do you know someone like this?  Well, I do.  In fact, I have two friends who seem to have this amazing ability.  And they make it look easy, even though they are struggling with their circumstances.  We hear so many stories about all of the athletes and what it has taken to get them to London.  Not only daily work to hone their craft, but some have had to move away from their families for months at a time, like Missy Franklin and Ryan Lochte who have not seen their families since December.

Today, I watched an athlete from South Africa run a sprint race on prosthetic legs; he fought several years to earn this right.  I also watched as a 72 year old man from China arrived in London after biking on a rickshaw – over 5,000 miles!  What inspiration for us all.  But, back to the story of my friend.  She got laid off over a year ago and has since been out of work, for some personal reasons.  She has been subletting her home for a couple of years; however, the owner decided she wanted to return and live in her home, leaving my friend, essentially, homeless.

But, as I said, my friend has this ability to take risks so she called me ( after I had not heard from her for a couple of weeks) to inform me that she is in California.  After having a series of crises occur, she decided to put her belongings in storage and to drive there, stopping to see sights along the way, like the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas.  I am a bit envious (I have always wanted to live there) but I am in awe that she made the decision to make the best of a bad situation; she is using this time to unwind and to explore her options before she decides her ‘next steps.’  I think this takes confidence and it takes risk.  I have always played it pretty safe so I’m trying to learn from my friend on how to be more risk-taking.  Do you know someone like this?  How can you stop playing it safe and go for more?