“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
Shakespeare’s Hamlet: Act 2, Scene 2
Shakespeare knew it. Hamlet knew it. We all know it…. but do we live it?
I know myself, I’m guilty of having ‘bad’ days, and labeling them as such. “Urghhh I’m having one of those mornings,” I’ll say.
“How are you?” they ask.
“I’m surviving!” I’ll say! Surviving!
I’m equally guilty of heaping expectation onto certain events or points in time, expecting to feel good – to have good days…. only to feel a surge of disappointment when it’s just not as ‘good’ as I expected.
While it might not seem like a big deal, the words we use matter.
Our words have layers of meaning attached to them. Labeling something as a catastrophe might appeal to your inner-drama queen, but it might also make you feel worse than if you called it a ‘mishap’, a ‘wobble’, ‘disappointing’, or ‘a bit crap.’
‘One of life’s cowpats’ my dad says, or ‘Sod’s law.’ This allows us to shake our heads and laugh when something doesn’t go our way.
Telling yourself that the whole day has gone to hell because you were late for an appointment, had an argument with your other half and forgotten to buy milk (the HORROR!) will only ensure that you maintain a ‘bad’ mood for the whole day.
Remembering that you interpret all of life through your own lens, and that each feeling and thought is part of your own story that your brain has constructed, is a powerful tool if you use this knowledge to move past the ‘bad.’
Life happens. Sometimes it happens in a way that isn’t in line with what you want or need. But every moment is a new opportunity to think, feel and act in a positive way.
Next time you step into one of life’s cowpats, remind yourself that it’s just one moment of many – chuckle at your own misfortune if you can – and move on to whatever happens next.
Have you stepped in a cowpat recently? Are you a victim of Sod’s law? Do you regularly experience ‘bad hair days’? Comments welcome:
Anxious-Ambition.com 