When It All Feels Like This
Remember: you have a power move to get through it anyway
How do you keep it all together when things start to fall apart?
I’ve got a Big Dream as I orchestrate an epic cross-country move that will commence in the coming year. There are a multitude of critical details with buying, selling, staging, packing, donating, and so on.
I place calls, compose emails, and send texts. I await replies and confirmations. All it takes is one “no” or “not now” or even a “no response” and the inevitable domino effect tips my master plan on its side!
Setbacks are an inevitable part of our life’s journey. It’s hard to accept that things will not always go how we want. Yet through acceptance, we can still see light on a darkish day. We can get unstuck as we find another way to move towards where we want to be.
Bear in mind that acceptance is not tolerance. It is not “Pollyanna-ish”. Instead, it is actively discerning what is and is not within our power.
Acceptance requires that we rise above our current turmoil rather than wallow in it. Only then can we deliberately choose to shift our energy towards what we can control: our mood, our focus, and our next action.
Trust me, I’ve had to accept my share of unexpected detours, temporary defeats, and unwelcome disservices. They’re awful! I hates them I does!
Dammit, Jim! I’m no doctor but that’s gotta hurt — Captain Kirk, Starship Enterprise 🚀
It’s my instinct to succumb to the negative feelings that ensue. I struggle to let them go because I feel things so strongly. And I’ve had a habit of allowing my mood to dictate my day.
But when I finally realized that I don’t need to be hostage to my knee-jerk reactions? My recovery time was slashed significantly. I allowed a short pity party. Then I moved on to formulating Plan B, which is about how to move ahead anyway.
As I recently chanted to a good friend who had a doozy of a detour occur, “Can’t go over it, can’t go under it, can’t go around it — gotta go through it!” 😤
While my initial vision seemed perfect, the reality is that there are many ways to achieve it. I pick one way to get there and do what I can to stay on that path. However, I’m learning to avoid becoming overly invested that it’s the only way because I’m not in control of the cooperation of everything and everyone else. And sometimes, Plan B or Plan C or Plan G (you see where this is going) may prove to be an equally good or even better route — who knew!
This mindset shift makes all the difference in the quality of my day. And the ensuing inner peace is priceless.
What’s going on with your own “bear hunt”?
How are you getting through the weeds and streams between where you are and where you want to be? Let us know so we can cheer you on!🤗
Here’s another Shortie on how to reset your mood from my gentle friend, Celeste Wilson:
