Sometimes life can take you where you never knew you wanted to go. That can be a fantastic thing where you meet someone who makes your heart sing, find an amazing sale, come across something you’ve heard about but never had a chance to try, find the perfect camping spot or just see something amazing. Or it can be a nightmare that seems to never end with problem after problem piling up because you wanted to be somewhere else and now you’re here instead of there and the entire world is in chaos. You know what makes the difference between these two, who we are in the moment.
It’s not just about mood. I’ve been in shitty moods and been able to still open up and enjoy the process. In fact, the process of going where I never knew I wanted to go has adjusted my mood for me and made things so much better. It’s not about will because while will power can do a great many things, using it to lie your way into seeing the world differently isn’t an effective use of willpower. If you need to be there and you’re here and you’re in a shitty mood, that’s the way it is. Don’t try mind over matter because you matter and you will definitely mind.
What makes the difference is being honest, to be honest. If things are going in a nightmare direction, don’t try to make them something different, be present with yourself and figure out why that is. Validate your feelings because they are valid. Once you do that you’ll realize that in being heard things change on their own. The chaos shifts, you see clearer, and you can make your way towards being open to better things coming. Instead of doubling down on trouble you might be able to cut your losses with a bit of regret but a lot of relief. You can be open to finding a great hole in the wall diner or a new local pub. It’s not that there’s a plan in all of it, but you can find the good in yourself and therefore accept the door to the left that leads out of the nightmare into fresh air.
So then the next time, when you are all wound in getting there and doing that and you feel a tug, get an unexpected opportunity to do this and go here, you’ll be like “ok, world. Show me what you got!” and the beauty of unexpected things will unfold in front of you.