Ego boost
The amount of times I’ve said “It’s unbelievable, these things can never just be put together easily” when assembling a small piece of furniture. Something doesn’t line up with something every time! I get super frustrated and usually cause a childish temper tantrum, even in front of my son! My ego confirms that it’s not me… it’s the furniture makers! I KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN AND I’M ALWAYS RIGHT!
I have gotten much better at this over the last few years. What has changed? I move slower. I don’t tighten the bolts/screws until all the bolts are in, which allows for the wiggle room I so desperately needed for things to line up. I take my time with reading directions. I also breathe when it still doesn’t go exactly as planned. I slow myself down. Remind myself that it’s probably me and not the furniture. What has this done for me and what does this have to do with my life?
I haven’t freaked out over assembling anything in awhile. I usually get done fairly quickly, or so it seems because I’m calm. I come across less problems with these “projects” and I’m a better example to my son. What about life? I think you already get it. Pay attention to details. Know that things won’t typically happen perfectly, and take a breath. Be in the moment. Find solutions, not problems. Be more engaged in the moment and not the outcome. This is an opportunity to dig deep into yourself. Why does this trigger you? What is so bad about the situation? Is any of it even real, or are you just imagining a problem? Do people really think about you? Do their thoughts really matter? Are you less loved because the scale isn’t in a certain place? Are you really a failure? A failure? The deeper you dig, the more stable and resilient you become.
The size of a tree is completely dependent on the size of the roots. Look out the window at a tree. How much can you see? The whole thing? Nope. You only see the half that’s facing you, so you can see half of it… right? Nope. There is an equivalent amount of tree underground, so you can see maybe 1/4 of it, even though you can see “all of it”. Make sense? Even when you think you see the whole picture, you don’t. when tree roots are making their way deeper into the ground, and they hit a rock, do they stop? No. They work around it. Solutions, not problems. My driveway has tree roots busting asphalt up. Strong shit!
The bigger the roots, the bigger the tree. The bigger the roots, the more stability the tree has. It can weather the storm. Too many people suppress feelings and then they boil over uncontrollably. They don’t ever look into themselves, so they are left frustrated, blaming everything and everybody around them. If every obstacle in life throws you for a loop, I want you to think of a tree. You are more than what’s above the surface. Dig Deep. Find resiliency. I want you to think of 2 things:
RADICAL ACCEPTANCE
RADICAL OWNERSHIP
These 2 phrases will take you far. Own your role in the problem you’re dealing with, accept this reality, and move from there.
Happiness = Reality - Expectations (Learned this in Brad Stulberg’s book “The Practice of Groundedness”)
If you are interested in joining our 12 week group where we will explore these concepts, CLICK HERE. This is massively discounted for our first round. Starts Monday June 3, 2024.
