One of my favorite college courses was French literature, where I was introduced to a 1759 novel entitled Candide.  It's the satirical and humorous story of a young man whose idyllic view of life is shattered as he witnesses great hardships.  At every dark turn, his friend and traveling companion shrugs and says, "Even so, this is the best of all possible worlds."

It's the epitome of the silver-lining theory of life.  But that lining is not always so easy to find, and sometimes in looking for it, you uncover even more challenges.  Time to face the music and drum up some courage.  It's there, you just need to dig a little.  Try this two-step plan of action. 

Step One: (This is VERY important!) 

Find your quiet place and go there.  Maybe on the treadmill, maybe a walk through a park.  Maybe even locked in your bathroom.  Just find the place where you can be alone with yourself for 30 minutes.   Then, and only then, go to step two.

Step Two:  Answer these questions, in this order.

1.  What's the main issue?  When things are bad, it's easy to start feeling that everything is bad.  Even if you're facing several issues, force yourself to focus on just one thing at a time.  Say it out loud. Miraculously, once it's out there, it becomes a little less overwhelming.

2.  What could be worse?  No matter how bad things are today, they can always be worse. But even if you're broke, sick or alone, chances are, your mind is still functioning. And with that one amazing tool, you can begin to fashion a plan of action.  Don't worry about the whole journey, just worry about taking the first step, then the next, and so on.

3.  What brings me joy?  There's something for everyone: flowers blooming, a child's smile, an upcoming holiday.  Picture that one thing and say it out loud, too.  Return to that picture each time you find yourself overwhelmed.

The net result?  Your mind chatter should sound something like this: "Wow, I hate that A is happening to me.  Thank goodness it's not B;  that would be worse.  And I'll always have C."

Think these steps are overly simplistic?  They are, for a reason.  If we find success in something simple, our courage grows and we're ready for more difficult challenges.  Take home lesson: if, despite the time and place, we're able to say, "this is the best of all possible worlds," we just might start believing it.