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In the real world things don’t always work out the way you plan. The cat runs out the door as you are running late. There is traffic on the way into work. Your appointment is canceled, and you drove 30 minutes to get there. A friend or family member cancels plans you were really looking forward to. Each one of these situations suck and can ruin our morning, day or weekend. BUT, they don’t have to!
You can CHOOSE how you view a situation! You can choose to see it as rotten luck or a waste of time, or you can choose to look at it as GAINED TIME! I do live in the real world and I know “gained time” is not the case all the time, especially if your boss is not understanding regarding your tardiness. However, most times you can choose to view your situation differently!
For example, recently I had a full day planned from 7:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. From 7:30 – 8 the plan was getting the kids to school, which went smoothly. I drove 20 minutes to get to a training. As I pulled up, on time, I saw a FULL parking lot with cars circling the parking lanes trying to find a space. I joined them making circle after circle, seeing people choosing to park in non-parking spaces and on the road leading away from the building. So I decided the free training wasn’t worth getting a ticket for and drove away. I chose to think about a better use of my time than being frustrated at the lack of parking.
As I was driving toward the highway I saw a sign that said, “2 right lanes closed ahead accident.” It seemed fine at that moment. NOPE. As I drove a little further the ENTIRE road was closed, blocking the path to the highway and no way to turn around. Again, I was giving myself the opportunity to choose my mood and thoughts. Instead of getting frustrated, I reminded myself there was extra time due to me skipping the training. So I turned on some music to wait it out. Five minutes later the tow truck cleared the accident and I was free to go!
While cruising down the highway, I mentally went through a list of things I could do with my gained time since my first appointment of the day was canceled on top of skipping the training. I decided on going to the gym since I keep making excuses regarding lack of time. The time finally presented itself, I just needed to be open to see it.
Well, I spent too much time going to the gym and showering that I didn’t have time to do the other tasks I had scheduled. OH NO! Instead of beating myself up and getting frustrated, I chose to write this quick blog post instead.
We each get to choose how we see the world and spend our time, even when it seems like we don’t.
YOU have a choice such as choosing a new way to work to avoid traffic or listening to a podcast instead of fuming over a situation you can’t control.
If an appointment cancels, use the time to do something you enjoy! If plans get canceled, do it anyway, or do something else you will enjoy just as much. If the cat runs out, put its food and litter box outside to lure it back home, grab a cup of coffee, and notify your work of the situation. Hopefully, the cat will be back soon! Yelling, screaming, and getting frustrated won’t change your situation, but it will change you for the worst. Choose your response and you will be choosing a better, calmer, more positive life for yourself!