Easy doesn't enter into grown-up life...

"Easy" doesn't enter into grown-up life.” 
Michael Cain (from The Weather Man)

 

By Joy Mizzoni
Team Support Specialist ActionCOACH Spokane

Easy sure doesn’t factor into grown up life.   But there are easier ways to approach obstacles.  Though the path less traveled sometimes offers unparalleled and unexpected beauty, and trust me, I am definitely one for adventure, there is something to be said for utilizing a well-worn path; mostly clear of ankle-twisting rocks and shin-scratching thorns. 

Someone already cleared the way. You just need to follow in their footsteps. 

Where am I going with this? 

Well, in some strange way, I am leading up to the benefits of proactivity. 

I once read the following description of proactive versus reactive: 

Two people are floating in the ocean. Along comes a big wave and takes them both by surprise.  A few minutes pass, and the one person starts scanning the horizon; trying to anticipate the next wave.  The other person is floating on their back, daydreaming in the sunshine, completely oblivious to the ocean’s patterns. 

Waves come and go, both in the sea and in life. The trick is to be prepared, somehow, some way, for what may lay ahead.  My old boss used to say, prepare for the unexpected...because it always happens. 

For someone like me, this can really be contradictory to my free-spirit, live for the moment attitude. Unfortunately I am finding that staying on track is not easy. You have to prepare for emotional let downs and brace yourself for gale force winds trying to blow you off course.  Typically, these gusts come in the form of people, significant others, flat tires, unexpected bills, and the stomach flu.

I am beginning to realize how long it takes for me to get back on course after a significant disappointment.  It’s been almost three weeks now, and I am just beginning to feel refocused on my personal and professional goals.  That is about three weeks too long. 

I am not at a point yet to really offer you any life-changing advice, tips, or tools. All I can tell you is that if you want to change, you have start becoming self-aware. 

How do you handle stress?  When the going gets tough, to where do you get going?   

Do you hold on tight to your convictions and find solace in goals?

Or…Do you put everything on hold until you get your balance back? 

I wish I could tell you that I am firmly rooted like an obstinate tree when it comes to achieving my goals. But the truth of the matter is that most times, I feel like I just stepped off the tilt-a-whirl at the county fair.  

Distractions sometimes invade your life like a swarm of gnats.  It’s just a part of life. Like mosquitoes. Like bees. Like spiders and wasps and creepy crawly things you smoosh with a rolled up newspaper.   We can no more control other people and circumstances than we can a rainstorm. 

Take a moment, the next time you feel a little overwhelmed, unproductive, or just plain stuck, and think about how you typically react to stressful situations.  What keeps tripping you up?  What are the one or two goals you are constantly trying to achieve but seem to never make any progress?  This relates to finances, weight loss, and professional endeavors; really anything you have set your mind to achieve but always seem just out of your grasp. 

Today I realized I do not brush off personal disappointments very easily.  It should not be week number three before I am shaking my head and going, whew, what happened?  Oh yeah, now I remember, there were these things called goals I was working towards. 

I am beginning to realize that most of the positive, self-help, productivity gurus really do have the right idea.  Try and try again. The next time something takes you by surprise, perhaps it will only overshadow your goals for a day or two; not for weeks at a time. 

Perhaps together we can navigate the road less traveled and maybe find our way to that well-worn path towards our hopes and dreams. Either way, you have to just keep on keeping on.