Remember when I said in my September Tipsheet (read it here) that hubby Steve and I were
off to vacation in Sicily? Well, here we are- (note the chocolate sundae I'd just finished--
hence my big smile!)
Everything about our trip was absolutely wonderful. Each hotel we stayed at had a terrace or balcony with
a fabulous view and the weather was perfect.
BUT…what about when things DON’T go perfectly right?
How do you stay in the Positive Zone when things go
WRONG (and it’s not your fault!)?
I thought about that question yesterday while talking to a friend who described her recent vacation
in Costa Rica as a total DISASTER.
She said it constantly rained, the rental condo was covered in black mold and non-stop construction noise
woke them each morning at 6 am.
But when I asked if ANYthing had gone right, she said that all the problems actually
strengthened her relationship with her husband, they started joking about how “it can’t get any worse”
and that they returned home “more in love than ever!”
I’d say their vacation was as great a success as ours!
Have you ever had something go wrong in YOUR life that was outside of your
control?
The next time it happens, try these four tips:
1. Say this out loud: “Everything is happening
perfectly.”
I believe there are NO coincidences and everything happens for a reason, even if that
reason isn’t immediately clear.
Have you ever looked at both sides of a piece of embroidery?
I used to
needlepoint to keep my hands busy when I quit smoking. The front side would be a nice, even design; but the back would be a mess of crossed yarns and
snipped ends.
I think life is like that needlepoint. Sometimes we only see the messy backside that’s necessary to
create a beautiful picture.
And just as “The teacher appears when the student is ready,” I believe we’re supposed
to learn something from every person, event or experience that enters our life.
2. Focus on what is going RIGHT
Find something—ANYthing—that is positive about the situation and fan this
teeny weeny ember of positivity until it grows.
My friend said, “At least the rain in Costa Rica was warm! And because the rain kept us on the
front porch, we were able to see two humpback whales swim by, which was the highlight of our trip!”
3. Find something to laugh about
After spending a couple hours writing this Tipsheet, I got an MS Word error message
DELETING everything I had just written! The “recovered” doc contained only the headline, so I knew
I'd have to write everything all over again- sheeeesh!!!
I gritted my teeth, told myself “Everything is happening
perfectly” and remembered a joke about the devil and Jesus in a typing contest where the punch line was, “Jesus
Saves!”
Guess that was the lesson I needed to learn! J
4. Keep it in the right perspective
The next time something goes wrong, ask yourself, “Will this really matter in a
month? In a week? In a day?” Ask yourself these questions to determine the amount of
importance the situation deserves.
When you lose perspective, everything becomes a
BIG DEAL and you get petty, picky and start to nag.
I once watched a married couple argue on Dr. Phil about who was supposed to empty the
dishwasher. Puh-lease!!
When things go wrong, look beyond the moment to the big picture, to what is
REALLY important in your life--and, trust me, it isn't the dishes! In other words:
Don’t sweat the petty stuff (and don’t pet the sweaty stuff!)
