As I begin to type this, it’s almost like I’m looking into a mirror talking to myself…. How many times have you gone into work with a positive mindset thinking you can conquer the world that day? Then all of a sudden, something happens that morning. It may not be anything major, but it’s something that will delay you from doing what you need to do. You begin to dwell on it and now it seems as if more bad things are happening. It’s almost like things just keep snowballing. You have now allowed that moment to effect the rest of your day. That moment just turned into the rest of your day. Bad things happen. Inconvenient and unexpected circumstances are going to occur. That’s just a part of life. What you have to stop doing is allowing these moments to be more than that, just a moment. Depending on the situation, it is a lot easier said than done. I get it. But you must learn how to let those small things just roll off of you. Instead of just dwelling on it, take control and handle it. You are not always in control of what happens, but you are 100 percent in control on how you react to it.
When something happens, the first thing you should do is acknowledge it. Then, find a solution and take care of it. If something happens that it completely out of your control, don’t dwell on it. There is absolutely nothing you can do. You have to brush it off and keep it moving. I’ll give you an example. We were notified early one morning at work that our delivery truck was going to be about four hours late. At that moment, I was upset and frustrated thinking about how it was going to put me behind. But then I realized that nothing I did would be able to change the situation. So, I accepted it and begin to work on other things instead. That moment stayed a moment. I promise you, I was not always like this. Over a year ago, my daughter woke up with a fever and was sick. I took her to the doctor. She was not able to go to daycare because she had a fever and was contagious. I was upset all day because I actually had to call in to work that to stay home with her. Instead of me counting my blessings (having insurance to take her to the doctor, the money to buy the medicines she needed, and the pto to take time off to help her get better), I focused on the fact that I was going to be behind at work. Every day has its own set of challenges and you have no idea what they are until the happen. When they do happen, keep it in that moment.
Most of the things that happen can be taken care of in that moment. There are things that happen in life (such as the death of a loved one) that may cause you to have a bad day, a bad week, a bad month, and even a bad year. I completely understand that and I am not talking about those things. When the day to day curve balls come your way, handle them. If you need to make a phone call or just step away for a few minutes to get your head back where it needs to be, then do that. For me, allowing myself to have a bad day means that I will not be able to give my wife and daughter the attention they deserve when I do get home from work. Me not being able to take control of a bad moment hurts them. This is one of the main reasons why I learned how to handle things differently. I just want to encourage you to just take control of the moment. Do not let things or people steal your joy. They can’t take it unless you give it to them. Shake all the small stuff. Find a way to get through it and continue walking forward with a smile. You got this.
Shawn's Blog 