John Paul Strong

The Ups and The Downs

You go through life, you go through your day, you go through your week, and you have so many ups, so many things that are positive, so many things that make you ride high. So many things that make you feel invincible and unstoppable. And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you get hit with something from the side—a down.

Now, it’s just naturally part of life that you’re going to have ups and downs, and you always hope you have more ups than you have downs, but you always have to put it in perspective. You always have to remember that just when you are ahead, just when you think you are on top, just when you think you are absolutely unstoppable, something is going to hit you out of left field. You hope that you can get through it and get past it quickly. You keep your positive mindset and positive energy, but you always have to be expecting that as good as you think you’ve got it, as good as you think you’re doing, as good as your life is going, something unfortunate is going to happen at some point.

This is not to be a naysayer, not to be a Chicken Little and think the sky’s falling, but just to remember—and even remember to celebrate—the greatness, the good things, the wins even more so. Because, you know, at some point you’re going to have a day, you’re going to have an event, you’re going to have a situation that is not the way you wanted it to turn out. You know that no matter how good things get, there’s always something that you’re going to wish didn’t happen the way it happened. And in the end, that’s what keeps the balance of the ups and downs all together.

The key to managing the ups and downs is always keeping a positive mindset. Always keep that unstoppable pep in your step. Always keep that sphere of influence over yourself where you feel like you’re unstoppable. You feel like you’re on top all the time. And with that, that’s how you can win every day.