Happy Monday, or whatever Monday you choose. Last week was very challenging. If you asked me how things were last Tuesday, I would have told you that everything was awesome! I was on top of the world. If you asked me last Wednesday, it was the worst day ever. I think you would find a picture of me next to the word “drama queen” in the dictionary. Once again, my friend Lisa, from Lisa Brooks Management, asked the right question. She asked me if I prefer the good days over the bad days. After reflection, I realized that my so-called terrible day was a day, just the same as my awesome day was a day. The difference was in my attitude. Don’t get me wrong, there is a clear difference between pleasant and unpleasant, but your attitude still determines your reaction. How many people seem to have everything a human can want, and yet still be unhappy. I asked myself her classic question, “What’s great about your situation?” When I reflected about Wednesday, I concluded that Wednesday kickstarted a process that I had been procrastinating. It was not the timing I would have chosen, but life does not happen on our schedule.
Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. You have to find the balance between your goals and everything around you. Have you ever planned the perfect day? You were ready to get things done, and then someone you love reaches out to you and asks for your time? Alternatively, the basement floods? Perhaps you get sick? What do you do? Give up? Quit? Will you instead, adapt? Can you be flexible in your life? Can you find the fun in the moment? When I live in the moment, I don’t feel bad and think about all the other things that I “should” be doing. I can only do one thing at a time. Rearranging my schedule to spend thirty minutes for my son to tutor me in his favorite video game was priceless. If you are interested, I am spending much less time falling off platforms and actually managed to block an attack. My son claims I did more damage with my previous random panicked playing style. I did not get discouraged by his feedback. Now that I have learned more control, I should be able to work on increasing my damage.
What’s next? I’m going to celebrate. I still have many things to accomplish this week with a very aggressive timeline. I am going to celebrate being able to draw upon my coping strategies and find my footing. I will toot my horn for each victory on this path. There are many beautiful things in my life, so I will remember to practice gratitude. The sun is shining. I am gainfully employed. I have a family who loves and supports me. I have opportunities. I have amazing friends. I am not bragging, just reminding myself of all the good in my life. Gratitude is an excellent coping strategy for me. You probably have your own. If not, I hope you will accept the challenge of finding solutions that work for you. I’m rooting for you.
