Making Lemonade out of Lemons

Acceptance Isn’t Giving Up

 There are few who know what I’m talking about – struggling with a failure and giving a herculean effort to not feeling like a failure. I’m the first one to punish myself for falling short of my goals, but now I actually have something else to consider. It’s quite genius really.

      I was listening ,the other day, to a podcast that suggested to me a different perspective on missing goals.  The suggestion made me stop, in the middle of my hike, and say, “huh…” It was something I’d never considered for myself before. I’d heard it, but the way it was presented made me stop and apply it to myself.

Consider this: Maybe, the reason you had to stay at work late to finish the project you didn’t do the day before was the universe’s way of preventing you from being involved in an accident. Perhaps there is some celestial energy that has kept you from meeting someone that wasn’t good for you.

Everything Happens for a Reason: It’s very hard, in the moment, to give any thought to a door being slammed in your face as a good thing, but, everything happens for a reason. If one door closes, usually, another door presents itself. It may not be a direction you planned to go, but it is another direction, and there is no reason it won’t take you to or introduce you to other more brilliant options.

Something Else to Consider: Be present in the moment. This little phrase has been the hardest for me to process. I would say, “Of course, I’m present. I’m here, aren’t I?” But are you? Are you pissed off or jaded because your sights are set on a different time or a different goal? Maybe for an entirely different reason other than you or yourself.

Accepting: is usually not easy. Accepting that you didn’t get that promotion, accepting that you couldn’t complete a marathon (that happened to me), or facing and dealing with another disappointment isn’t about being better at blah, blah, blah, its about acknowledging your limitation and moving forward, without judgment.

So many of us can lighten our loads or unburden ourselves by simply accepting what we’ve been given. It doesn’t mean you can’t try to reach that goal again at another time, but the reset will give you a chance to work harder, or approach the challenge from another angle.

Life is too short – Enjoy the moment, the journey or the unexpected path!