re-publish: Problems = challenges = the start of something amazing

It's only Tuesday and I already feel like at the end of an extremely stressful week. And last week wasn't much better. So instead of posting something new, I'm going to re-publish a post from a year ago which I keep thinking about and which still feels true:

There are times when it seems like every day a new problem arises and your entire life is nothing but problem solving.

I keep thinking about a quote from The Marian movie (which is fantastic by the way) based on a book by Andy Weir. The hero Mark Watney is stranded by himself on Mars and has to find a way to survive on a planet which is deadly in so many ways. The way he makes his disastrous situation work is truly inspiring. Yes, Mark Watney is my idol (regardless of the fact that he is fictional).

At the end of the movie he tells his students:

“At some point, everything’s gonna go south on you and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to go home.”

(Mark Watney, The Martian)

This is very much the essence of life. Life will always be full of problems and you will have to solve one problem after the next in order to move forward. The trick is to not let the problems cloud your entire life. Because if you look close enough, amongst all these problems you can see moments of pure magic: hours spent with your lover watching the night sky, afternoons laughing and drinking coffee with your friends, an inspiring book, a mind blowing movie, the wind which blows though your hair when you stand on a bridge in your home town, bright flowers, bonfires, hikes through the forest, hot chocolate with marshmallows, a beautiful dream. Those are the moments we are living for.

Problems are also challenges. They are a chance to grow and to fight through the storm in order to come out of it as a stronger version of yourself. Problems ask for new ways of thinking, for creative solutions and for change. And yes, change is terrifying, but it can also be the start of something amazing.

Problems = challenges = the start of something amazing

There are times when it seems like every day a new problem arises and your entire life is nothing but problem solving. At the moment our apartment is being renovated, so we have to live in a little room with almost no dishes and no Wifi – which is why I can’t update this blog as often as I want to. Every day small problems come up which we have to take care of which mostly is entirely possible but also time consuming, tedious and frustrating.

And then there are still the big problems which bring shadows to our days like huge clouds in the summer sky. My boyfriend’s visa is expiring soon and it’s still not sure if he will get a position which will enable him to stay in Germany. If not, I will have to follow him to the US, which again brings even more problems: Can I find a job? Will I get a visa? Can I really throw everything here (my studies, my apartment, my friends, my family) away from one day to the other and start anew? To say it scares the shit out of me is an understatement.

But at the same time I know that we will find a way because this is what we do. There’s always a way and if you really want something, you will get it – if you make the necessary sacrifices and fight through tough times. But this is life. I you want something, you have to fight for it.

I keep thinking about a quote from The Marian movie (which is fantastic by the way) based on a book by Andy Weir. The hero Mark Watney is stranded by himself on Mars and has to find a way to survive on a planet which is deadly in so many ways. The way he makes his disastrous situation work is truly inspiring. Yes, Mark Watney is my idol (regardless of the fact that he is fictional).

At the end of the movie he tells his students:

“At some point, everything’s gonna go south on you and you’re going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That’s all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one, and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to go home.” (Mark Watney, The Martian)

This is very much the essence of life. Life will always be full of problems and you will have to solve one problem after the next in order to move forward. The trick is to not let the problems cloud your entire life. Because if you look close enough, amongst all these problems you can see moments of pure magic: hours spent with your lover watching the night sky, afternoons laughing and drinking coffee with your friends, an inspiring book, a mind blowing movie, the wind which blows though your hair when you stand on a bridge in your home town, bright flowers, bonfires, hikes through the forest, hot chocolate with marshmallows, a beautiful dream. Those are the moments we are living for.

Problems are also challenges. They are a chance to grow and to fight through the storm in order to come out of it as a stronger version of yourself. Problems ask for new ways of thinking, for creative solutions and for change. And yes, change is terrifying, but it can also be the start of something amazing.

Links I Love 2

I am always on the go at the moment and will be gone for a business/pleasure trip to Berlin for the next week. That's why I'm leaving you with some of the most fascinating, brilliant and mind-blowing stories, I have found in the Internet world lately. (You might also want to check out, Links I Love 1.)

Searching for the Nazi who saved my mother's life by Karen Kirsten

This is a wonderful story of a young woman who feels the urge to find out who the Nazi was who brought her Jewish mother to safety back in the day. It's fascinating to see how much this secret of her grandparents's generation, still affects the author's life. The story brilliantly questions the line between good and bad, or rather poses the question if once doing the right thing, has an impact on a life otherwise filled with bad decisions.

How Andy Weir took The Martian from Blog to Bestseller to Blockbuster movie by Jim Kukral

As wannabe author I have heard over and over again how tough the business is and how it's nearly impossible to get a contract with a publishing house (but some make it, so Why not us?, right?). That's why I'm a huge sucker of success stories and Andy Weir is an extremely fascinating one! Like many authors experience, noone wanted to publish his book, that's why he put it up on his website and soon it found a HUGE fanbase. As it is hard science fiction, it apparently filled a void and people loved it.

It got so popular that it was even made into a wonderful movie with Matt Damon (I've seen it and it's a good watch). Andy Weir got the movie deal before a publishing house finally decided to publish his book. Ridiculous, right? But also: Sometimes incredible things happen and people succeed despite all odds. Go, listen to the podcast and then feel a bit better about your future.

Winona, Forever by Saroya Roberts

I love Winona Rider and her cult movies like Heathers (absolutely brilliant!), Girl, Interrupted and more. She is beautiful and elegant in an uncommon way. The article goes through her career and follows how the actress became the cult symbol she is today. A good read for Winona fans!

10 vital storytelling lessons I learned from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer by Charlie Jane Anders

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer is my all-time-favorite-TV-show. In fact, I just re-watched season 2. I love the characters and though it's a fantasy show, I can relate to their struggles on so many levels, even more so now in my twenties, than back in my teens, when I first fell in love with it. io9 author Charlie Jane Anders breaks down some storytelling tips and tricks we can learn from the show and it was fascinating to see my favorite show being analysed like that. It shows once more that the writers truly created something unique.

I am Alive - Surviving the Andes Plane Crash

I mentioned this documentary and the effect it had on my life view once before. It's the story of a group of sportsmen whose plane crashes in the Andes where the ones who survived the crash now have to face the horrors of snowy mountains, avalanches, hunger and more. How against all odds, some of them managed to survive, moved me more than I can put into words and it gave me a joy about being alive. Seriously, just watch this documentary, I promise you won't regret it.

Lemonade (visual album) by Beyonce

I have never been a fan of Beyonce or her music. It's not like I disliked her, I always had respect for her level of success, but I just wasn't interested in her and couldn't find myself in her work, This changed with Lemonade. When the visual album, which is basically a 40-minute long movie/music video, came out, everyone made such a big deal out of it, that I checked it out, just to see what all the excitement was about.

And it blew my mind. I went in it completely unprepared and it touched me in so many ways. On the surface it's a love story, where a man cheats on a woman. Beyonce manages to crasp love so perfectly, I was speechless about how true and honest this visual album is. Love is beautiful and meaningful but it is also extremely brutal and absolutely terrifying. Beneath the surface Lemonade is so much more. It's about feminism, and the black rights movement and about standing up for yourself and for what you believe in.

Schizophrenia stole my brother. This is how I got him back by Zander Sherman

I know several people who have schizophrenia and I know that it's a horrific condition to live with, that's why I'm always interested in this topic. The story of Zander Sherman and his brother will move you. He captures the awefulness of schizophrenia and the feeling of loosing all control and hope perfectly. It's not a happy story but it's real.

Taking the mask off by Edenland

Edenland is a blog I follow because Eden regularily posts beautifully written masterpieces about the tragedy which is life. Ever since her brother killed herself she has lost control over her life. In this post she once again confronts her grief and how she is trying to go on living after she has lost a person she loved. I've also known people who killed themselves and for me suicide is pretty much the worst thing in the world, that's why Eden's posts always hit me and I can't read one without crying like a baby.

Dear Trauma, I refuse by Hiyah Tootsie

Hiyah Tootsie is another blog I follow regularily. I work for a publishing house which publishes erotic literature and photography, so I am very comfortable with erotic pop culture and even pornography. Hiyah Tootsie writes about her time as a kind of counceler in the pornography industry and somehow I can't stop thinking about the article. Somewhat in it, really hit me. Let's see if you'll react similarily.

Drive, he wrote by Louis Menand

You might know that my favorite book in the whole world is "On the Road" by Jack Kerouac. I've read it at least 5 times and I always take it with me on travels. I adore the Beat generation and have read so many articles and books on then and watched documentaries on them. So, this article didn't really give me any new information, but it gives a beautiful insight into the lifes of Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy, etc. and analyses what the Beat generation was really all about. A must read for everyone who love the Beats.