How you perceive a situation determines your ability to successfully handle a challenging event. And, how you perceive depends on your past experiences and how your brain has reacted in the past. In other words, how your brain has categorized your past experiences, influences how you will respond to similar challenges.
You may have heard the saying, Don’t cry over spilt milk. What does it mean? Perhaps this: the milk has already spilt. Clean it up and let go of past feelings of parental disapproval. That’s the purpose of the milk spilling challenge! You can easily meet the challenge by letting go of past misinformation. You are given an opportunity to change, to free up your daily life.
What about a bigger challenge. What about a bill in the mail. How do you react? Do you suddenly feel fearful? Maybe you can’t pay it right away? Maybe you’ll forget to pay it? Maybe you wish there was an easier way to live from week to week. What if you don’t want to cry over monthly bills?
Pause. Remember the times you were young and unsure of how to budget your life, let alone your lack of wealth. Take a moment to reflect the amazing lessons of bringing needed money in and allotting money to be spent in ways that keep you away from worry.
Whenever a challenge is particularly loud with worry, you know it is important to find out what you dread about this event. Jot down words that resemble fear.
Love is an emotion that can dispel old, unfavorable, fearful emotions. We
…and most commonly it changes for the better throughout the day. Breathe. Take a moment to remember things will be better momentarily. Breathe again. All of life is dynamic so keep on trying. Get a glass of water and consider how lucky it is to have it tapped into your house!
Life keeps changing. You are alive, so you’re going to be changing too! …sometimes you stumble, but always things improve as you figure out what you want and what you want to leave behind..
The important thing is “Never give up!”and cut off the opportunity to live life fully! Enjoy today!
I’m a little long-winded today, but I have a lot on my mind. It’s like spring inside me. (We live in Washington). I am happy to explore the best of me after living with a poor rendition. Message here is: NEVER GIVE UP!
I have discovered the skill of seeing and allowing possibilities, even in midst of pain, fear, irritation and all that goes with the unexpected adversity.
What happened that led you to opening up to possibilities? you ask.
Three months ago I fell and shattered my left arm (ulna, radius, humerus and elbow ) … resulting in a surgically placed 108 mm Ulna Plate, a prosthetic elbow, Radial Stem and lots of screws.
I tripped on a stair above the first landing the night before Easter. I got up like a scared rabbit and hurried down the second section to a chair in the front room. I was thinking about my hurt knees and holding my left arm close to my chest. When it moved it felt like a can of pickup sticks rolling around. But I didn’t have courage to phone 911 until morning. …Easter morning!
My left arm, hand and fingers were of no use to me my body ached in solidarity. My mind shut down. I held little hope for a positive future In other words, I was in shock .
But life kept urging me on. Spring went on without me, yet still beckoned me toward my assured self. Most every day my confidence grew. I chose to look for the brighter side of my situation, no matter how loud my inner trolls shouted worthless fears.
My point, (please stay with me), is this: there are unlimited possibilities offered us, at every moment. We only have to choose. …. and, more and more, I chose possibilities that pleased me.
Today, I am typing with both hands, thanks to my family, a compassionate ER team on Easter morning, an amazing surgeon team and a coaching, happy and professional physical therapist team, I am well on my way to returning better than ever.
I also know I have honed a great skill: Possi-Ability!
What’s important to me is sharing how this event brought me closer to my best self….My big-picture self. I want to share how I allowed possibilities into my life, and yet, chose to reject other ideas.
Possibilities and the Ability to Accept
Why this essay?
I hear so many people crying out how terrible this life, earth, world, ……. is and, it may be true. But we do have choices to enjoy ourselves. Unlimited possibilities mean that we may choose a person, an activity, or speak and laugh differently from others. My ah-ha moment means I can choose whatever possibility which is presented to me and follow it until I change my mind.
I believe I have a navigational system to let me know when I am fragmented. Looking for the fun, happy, kind, loving side of things is where wholeness, health, wealth, dreams, inclusivity, and Mother Nature, and my best self lives live.
We can encourage Possi-Ability! You don’t need a broken bone to take advantage of this skill. Everyone can partake! Here’s how?
Choose to listen to your emotions. When they are sending thoughts of anger, sadness, irritation, jealousy, self-doubt, pessimism, fear, revenge, superiority, futility …
WAKE UP! Your TRUE, BEST SELF is with you and is sending a message to reflect your current thinking.
Maybe you are confused when you are angry or any of the negative hot, uncontrollable emotions (just like my arm send out pain when broken) Best thing you can do is stop! Stop thinking the thoughts behind the emotions. Sit quietly, take a nap, go for a walk and focus on nature, listen to music, watch a movie..but STOP the negative thoughts.
Your best self has a higher vision of life and your small, limited view feels small. At the same time, you sense there is another way of seeing the moment. Your emotion is louder, feels more painful, the smaller your outlook is. Your emotion is a message you are not in sync, and the strength of the emotion is how far away you’ve gone this time.
Then as you relax, allow the possibilities present themselves.
Just as there are what human’s regard and label as terrible things, there are unlimited possibilities to delight and refresh not only the world you live in but the world you have not even imagined yet!
