Hi all,
Today I want to share with you a new way of looking at any situation (good or bad). When we are in the middle of our day-to-day lives, things can seem confusing or overwhelming. In reality, however, almost any situation can be simplified:
There are things you can control, and things you simply can’t.
I’ve created this system to help you in everyday challenges, big and small. It’s very simple. No matter what is going on, you must understand which things are out of your control, and which you have the power to change. With this understanding, it is much simpler for you to make the positive choices that will bring you more happiness, and reduce your everyday stress.
I call this the HEAL method, and I hope it will help you create joy throughout the upcoming year!
Things you can NOT control:
H = Hormones.
Oh yes, the dreaded H word. You and I both know that there’s nothing you can do about those chemical changes inside your body. Hormones affect every person alive, though I think teenagers and pregnant women experience more than their fair share of hormonal changes! The reality is that, when your hormones are causing you to feel a certain way, you are just going to feel it. All you can do is “go with the flow” and accept that this is simply something you can not control.
E = Environment.
You do have a limited amount of control over your environment. If you’re in a very bad situation, you always have the power to physically leave and get to someplace safer (and I pray you will). But for most of us in our day-to-day lives, our immediate environment is not always under our control. The baby will cry, the house will not clean itself, your job will be stressful, the rain will fall … it goes on and on. When it seems like the world is against you, sometimes the best thing you can do is to look at the big picture instead of focusing on the details. This is the life you chose, and overall, it is probably not so bad. You can not make every moment perfect, though, and it’s okay to accept that fact.
Things you CAN control:
A = Attitude.
Ah, finally something you can control! You will probably notice that, for each of the two elements above, I recommended a slight attitude adjustment to help you deal with them. Your attitude is one hundred percent yours, and you can choose to change or adjust it from moment to moment and situation to situation. How would you like to approach the challenges in your life? This is a choice that you get to make, an infinite number of times. And the best part – when you are choosing your attitude, you always have the power to start fresh, with a brand new approach. What a wonderful truth!
L = Love.
It always comes back to love, and love – how you share it, and how you accept it – is completely within your control. Even better, love is something you have in endless supply. And the more you give, the more you will receive. At times, sharing love can be hard, and loving yourself can be the biggest challenge of all. But it is always an option – it’s never impossible or out of your control. When things seem darkest, even a little gesture can bring light to your day: hugging your child, saying “thank you” to a friend, or smiling at yourself in the mirror. You will be surprised at how long you will feel the positive reverberations of these gestures of true love.
With Love and Mommy Hugs,
Pamela