When Times Get Tough, The Tough Get A Backbone

Do not ever give up.  That is one of the secrets to life.  Almost everyone comes to a moment in life when things look absolutely hopeless.  But those that have come through those moments know that there is always a way to turn things around.  When times get tough, the tough get a backbone.  Yes, a horrific economic collapse is coming and the world is going to become incredibly unstable.  But the purpose of waking people up and getting them to realize what is about to happen is not so that they can shiver in fear.  When a military unit gets intel that indicates that the enemy arrayed against them is far more powerful than previously thought, do they give up all hope and run away like little girls?  Of course not.  Instead, they use that intel to prepare for the coming battle.  Only cowards give up.  When you totally give up, you lose everything and the enemy wins.  Our life does not consist of what we own anyway.  If every single thing that you own was taken away from you, would your life be over?  No!  When we leave this world, we will not be remembered for what we owned.  Rather, we will be remembered for how we lived.

The cowardly never finish the race and they never win any prizes.  Being a coward may seem like a way to escape short-term pain, but in the end it is never worth it.

Those of us living in the United States have had it good for so long that most of us don't even know what it is like to go through hard times.
But just because a great era of prosperity is coming to an end does not mean that our lives will be over.  There are plenty of people on the other side of the globe that only have one set of clothes and that don't know where their next meal is coming from, and yet many of those same people are incredibly happy and full of life.
Just because a time of great darkness is coming to this world does not mean that you have to give in to fear.  All of us feel fear from time to time.  Courage does not mean that you don't feel any fear.  It means that you can take action in spite of the fear.
When times are the darkest, that is when the light is needed the most.  As the world falls apart, there will be a much greater need for heroes than ever before.
So decide to be a hero instead of a coward.
Sticking our heads in the sand and pretending that everything is going to be okay does not do anyone any good.  Denying clear and obvious evidence of what is about to happen is just another form of cowardice.
As I wrote about yesterday, 2012 is going to be a very difficult year and Europe is on the verge of a massive financial collapse.  The stunning long-term decline of the U.S. economy is likely to accelerate and the middle class is going to continue to be ripped to shreds.
All over the globe, prominent voices in the financial world are declaring that a nightmare is about to begin.  For example, renowned investor Jim Rogers recently said the following....

"Eventually one of two things has to happen. We have to get together now and ring-fence the problem and figure out how we are going to survive and start over. Or, in a year or two or three, the market is going to say, no more money, we won't put up any more money. And then the whole system collapses, then you have gigantic chaos, social unrest, governments failing, civil war - huge mess"

So should we all throw our hands up in the air and give up?
No!
Now is the time to get a backbone and to prepare for what is ahead.
Just think of the great heroes throughout history.  What made those people into great heroes?
They became great heroes because they triumphed in the midst of great adversity.
So do you want to be a winner or do you want to be a loser?
If you give up, you are automatically a loser.
If you keep on fighting for what is right, you are automatically a winner even if it costs you your life eventually.
So don't be stupid.
Is your life really hard right now?
Well, there are huge numbers of people sleeping on the streets of America tonight.  Most of them probably have it a lot rougher than you do.
A lot of people that have lost their homes have battled back and have totally rebuilt their lives.  They were able to do that because they never gave up.
For example, one woman in the Washington D.C. area that lost everything and ended up on the streets fought back and reclaimed her life.  She did what she could with what she had, and her tireless efforts paid off.  She even became a Twitter celebrity....

For AnnMarie Walsh, attaining social media celebrity from the streets and shelters of the Northwest suburbs meant using the Internet at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library or searching for places to charge a hand-me-down phone that demanded cash for minutes.
Walsh's savvy landed her a spot in a documentary called “Twittamentary” and a trip across the country to speak at a glitzy Los Angeles theater for the “140 Characters Conference.”
But perhaps the 41-year-old's biggest coup was finding a place to live after more than five years of homelessness, thanks to a social worker who connected with her through Twitter.

A reader of my site has a story that is similar in a lot of ways.  He identifies himself as "JD", and he left the following comment on one of my articles quite some time ago....

I was laid off from my construction job almost 2 yrs ago was on unenjoyment for over a yr they cut me off last september so i lost my apartment. Since then ive been couch surfing and hotel hopping. Now i occaisonally sleep in my car. I was lucky enough to have a friend with a lawn care business so i can at least put ever increasing gas in my car\house. I hate to say it but i think we will see hoovervilles in the major cities soon. When the welfare & food stamps & all the other govt. programs end the anarchy begins.

But guess what?
He did not give up.
He kept hanging in there.
Today, he is no longer homeless, he has a new job, and things are looking much, much brighter for him.
The following is another comment that he left on a recent article....

I love it here in Montana. We have problems but not everyone could live here especially when its -70 windchill and blowing snow. Its a hard country but its worth it to be away from the insanity of the cities. Millions will be freezing and starving to death before this decade is out, mark my words. The fight for freedom is on! LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD!!!!

That is the attitude of a hero.
If you have not seen it yet, please take a few minutes and watch the short video posted below.  It is entitled "100 Years In 10 Minutes", and it is a great reminder of many of the heroes that have gone before us....

Yes, there are going to be many challenging times ahead.
But don't be stupid and give up.
Instead, decide right now that you are going to be a light in the darkness.
Being a coward is not going to get you anything.
But if you will stand up and fight for what is true and right, the enemy may be able to eventually take your life, but they will never take your freedom.
As noted earlier, when times get tough, the tough get a backbone.
Will the years ahead find you cowering in fear or will they find you enjoying greater adventures than you ever dreamed of?
The choice, my friend, is up to you.