So yeah. I had a rough day yesterday. I felt like I didn't have control over anything. I felt beaten. Then I remembered the one mentality I have and take most pride in: I assume full responsibility of everything that happens and has happened in my life. I realized: I can seize control if I want to. I just have to take it! And suddenly, just like that, my day turned around: I decided to analyze - really dig deep in - what may have caused my mood.
- Had I eated something I don't usually eat? Yes. Commercial garlic butter.
- Was there really nothing I could do about my hair? Yes, there was. I checked some tips online and executed them. (Granted, the tips were risky, but at least I felt more in control again.)
- Was I really gaining weight? Perhaps it was just bloating. We'll see how my body reacts to leaving out the garlic butter.
- Did I really have a double chin? Yes, but only when I tilted my head back - which of course is most of the time I speak. And if I really was bloated, eliminating the bloating would eliminate the chin as well.
What I'm saying with this practical and personal example is that whenever you feel like something is not right, analyze the crap out of the situation. Put on your lab coat and lab goggles and try to perceive the problem from a scientist's standpoint. That way, you won't be criticizing yourself, but the problem. Problem solving, at least for me, is both fun and gratifying. And in this case also empowering.
Isolate the problem - almost as if it were the black box in an airplane. List the variables. Write premises. Study the correlations and the causations. Take everything into account. Make reasonable and rational arguments, and question them. Run the process again. Reach valid conclusions. Make an actionable plan to rectify the situation.
You can choose to be the one in control.
RK
