It was one of those weeks last week. You know the ones. It felt like I was swimming upstream from morning until night.
It was a particularly challenging week with my son. Each morning was a battle to get out the door to school. Back and forth over homework consumed the evenings.
It was a battle of wills. Every. Damn. Day.
By the time I got to Friday, I was exhausted. And that was before I made it into the office to start my day.
As I was walking in, I thought “It’s Friday. Five days of morning battles. Five days of starting and ending my day with a struggle.”
Then I stopped. I caught myself and wondered – can I see this differently?
It might be time for a perspective shift
Every day is not going to be rosy. We have the choice in how we act and react. We choose the narrative we tell ourselves regarding others’ actions and our circumstances.
It’s easy to find ourselves in a challenging situation and get caught up in the suck. It could be just as easy – if we allow it – to find the good in a situation.
So I stopped. I decided it was time to reframe my thinking.
I decided to be grateful.
Grateful my son lives with me, when that wasn’t a given and there are times he’s not here. I’d rather have a battle of wills with my tween than miss him for weeks in the summer.
Grateful he’s willful. He will be a strong adult. Independent minded. Outspoken. He will think for himself and won’t accept hypocrisy, lies or unjust actions.
Each challenge is an opportunity to reframe our thinking
Throughout the day, I pushed myself to reframe my thoughts. What other narratives was I telling myself that weren’t serving me? That could be turned around and allow me to move forward, rather than pulling me into the suck?
Eventually, most of us will face opposing views, challenging projects, and testy co-workers. Or maybe not.
Maybe we will have the opportunity to build a better solution that addresses varying perspectives. We will have the chance to elevate our abilities by trying something new. Or to realize the way we perceive someone else is about us, not them.
Every day is a new day
It’s possible you are someone that is naturally grateful. That faces every challenge, or string of challenges, with optimism and grace.
If so, I’d love to talk…the tween years are definitely not my most graceful.
I’m going to get caught back up in the suck. It’s inevitable. Transformations are a journey, not a moment in time.
But I can fight it. I can stop and remind myself. We all can.
Each time we are caught up in a narrative that isn’t serving us – one that casts a negative perspective on our day, job, or relationship – we can stop ourselves and choose to find the opportunity, the benefit, or the love.
Next time you’re feeling worn down, overwhelmed, angry or frustrated, take a breath. Pause. Step back and ask yourself if there’s another way to see what’s going on.
Just that one moment, that one question, can reframe your day.
