I’m sitting in the airport after having boarded a plane, only to have to get off that plane, walk fifteen minutes to another gate to wait two hours for a new aircraft.
Ho hum. I recognize this could really wreck my day, having had a sleepless night and waking early. I could, if I chose to, find myself really annoyed.
Instead, I feel calm and relaxed, easily able to pass the time in productive activity. How did I get so patient, when this was never a strength of mine?
Perhaps it’s maturity. Perhaps it’s experience. Most likely, it’s the concept of choice. I’ve heard that one of the conditions of ‘bad’ stress is the amount of control you believe you have over a situation.
While it’s true I have no control over mechanical issues on planes, or how the airline resolves the issue, I do have control over my response. I could react – get angry, complain loudly, and get and stay in a bad mood. Or I could surrender and let it happen without having it affect my mood. I could even look for the positives and focus on them. Here’s what I chose to focus on:
· 1,500 more steps towards my daily 10,000
· Fitting in a guided meditation
· Writing this blog
· Gratitude that this kind of problem rarely happens to me
Boarding came up sooner than I expected and, at last, I could enjoy a few episodes of Succession on the plane before safely arriving at my destination.
Try this ONE thing
Next time something unexpected happens, will you act as if you have no choice, or will you take control and choose to enjoy it and find a way to capitalize on it?
It’s in your control; it’s your choice.
Want to experience coaching? I like to start with a deep, get-to-know-you conversation to see if we are right for each other. Sometimes we talk for one or two hours at no charge. I have no goal except to bring about transformation. Together we work on the lies, the self-deception, and the fears of the power you perceive to be outside yourself. We work on your difficulties in making decisions and your inability thus far to make bold choices in life and to follow through and trust yourself completely to do so.
The irony for some people is that the very thing that they want the coaching for (an indecisive, half-hearted life) is what’s keeping them from deciding whether to get coaching.
When you’re ready, reach out @ karen.laidlaw.theONEthing@outlook.com. Meanwhile, enjoy the blog!
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