Awkward situation? Cold? In pain? Frustrated? Sad? Lonely? Any of these sound like feelings you’ve experienced (I’m sure you’re shaking your head yes)? These situations are part of life and instead of just dealing with it or ignoring your feelings I find it’s better to acknowledge what’s going on by asking yourself the following three questions :::
1. How long will it last?
2. What are the lasting effects it will have on you?
3. What can you do about it?
By going through these 3 questions you can pinpoint the “problem”, and make a mindful heart-centered decision on how to react (or not to react at all).
This is a somewhat silly example but take yesterday morning for instance… I decided to walk the ten minutes or so from the bus to work and 1/4 of the way there I realized I was cold. Really cold. My arms were goosebumpy, my shoulders were scrunched up and my pace was awkward as I fought against the cold. I felt like the cold was ruining my walk and ruining my morning.
Then I realized that :::
1. The feeling of being cold wouldn’t last more than 10 or so minutes until I got to work and could warm up,
2. The cold wasn’t going to have any lasting effect on me or cause me any true injury,
3. I couldn’t do anything about it.
Once I realized these three things I let go of my frustration over being cold and enjoyed the rest of the walk. I even slowed down a bit so that I could take in the light streaming through the leaves, the quiet stillness in Boston Commons and really appreciate the morning.
So next time you feel angry, sad, frustrated or unhappy with a situation ask yourself those 3 questions and then either accept the situation as it is or do something about it. Either way it’ll defuse your negative energy and help you embrace the present moment.
Like Ella says, “Make today a beautiful day.”
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