“There is no problem unless we choose to make it one, so think carefully before you act.“ ~ David Marshall
You know how sometimes you wake up in the morning and you feel energized and excited because you’re ready to go out into the world and make a big difference?
You begin your morning ritual. You head out the door and find that it you have a flat tire so now you’ll be late to work. “Alright, that’s ok”, you tell yourself, “No problem, just get the tire changed so that you can get back to changing the world.”
Excellent. Only now you’re sitting in traffic and you’ve somehow managed to spill your coffee on yourself while all the people behind you are seriously getting on your nerves with their tailgating! “Oh my gosh! Look at that woman beside me texting while driving!” Ok, blood pressure slightly elevated, but that’s ok.
Reassess. Moving on. This will not ruin my momentum!
You’ve managed to make it to the office, after finding what must be the furthest parking spot from the door. In fact, if you’d just walked from home, you may have been closer! And now that you’ve arrived, you find a pile of paperwork, a ton of emails, 15 voicemails, and 2 hours later the school calls to say your child is sick.
That’s it!
Good intentions are squashed.
Any sense of changing the world today has gone out the window, and you’re planning on which drive-thru you can hit before picking up your sick child.
My point here is that we all have good intentions, but what is the difference between those who start the day with good intentions and fail and those who finish the day with their intentions and dignity intact?
The answer is choice.
The physical choices: to get enough sleep, eat healthy, exercise, and meditate.
It’s also about the mental choices you make. You can easily lose your cool at the lineup at the grocery store, but will that really change the situation? Probably not. It will most likely increase adrenalin, increase your blood pressure and it will spread the negativity onto others.
In fact, your act of aggression could significantly alter someone else’s day and keep on going.
This is why I love the idea of paying it forward so much.
Let’s say the line at the grocery store is due to the fact that the elderly gentleman in front of you does not know how to work the debit machine. Everyone at that moment has a choice, be a helper or stand around irritated. The latter will not change much except to possibly escalate the situation and leave people embarrassed and angry.
If you chose to step in and help, not only are you turning a negative situation into a positive one for yourself, but perhaps the clerk’s day and the elderly gentleman’s day too.
Imagine that because of your positive attitude and helpful nature, the clerk can continue their job stress-free and keep a smile on their face to help the next person in line.
Imagine that gentleman being empowered to master a piece of technology while maintaining his dignity and independence.
Notice how you can choose a positive outcome; it’s not the event—it’s your choice how you respond.
It’s true that not every situation is 100% stress- free, but the truth is our thoughts control much more than we give ourselves credit for. Those thoughts are energy that is expelled in either a positive or negative reaction out into the universe that keeps on spreading.
When your day is crumbling, take a breather, go for a 10 minute walk, clear your head, and get back to that sunny place you woke up in.
Try and remember that your positive attitude will not only change your day (ultimately your life) but the day and lives of many others around you too.
When things go wrong during your day, how do you turn it around? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.
About the Author, Heather E. Wilson
Need help? Would you like to learn more ways to avoid burnout, add more fun, more success, and more joy into your life and business? Heather E. Wilson, is a certified transformational coach, author and international speaker who loves to share her passion for helping you take charge of your life and business so that you can have the success and fun you've always dreamed about.
Go to HeatherwilsonInternational.com to view more of her free training and to receive a copy of her FREE ebook: The Burnout Principle.
