Last week I mentioned I got an office and am in the process of decorating it.
Because, you know, while you can sit on the floor and work, it's so much more inspiring to have an office that, well, inspires. And while a bare room with no furniture might inspire a hardcore stoic, it doesn't inspire me.
So I paint the walls and find a desk and a rug, and then, disaster strikes:
- IKEA runs out of the narrow Billy bookcases which I need to build my dream integrated bookcase wall.
- Turns out that the sofa I got so attached to weighs too much to be carried up three flights of stairs.
- It's 0 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so driving around in search for new furniture solutions is not the best thing you can do to a car.
Now, insert whatever is not going exactly as planned in your life at the moment, and see if you feel irritated, bugged, frustrated, or something else that isn't helping at all. Maybe you feel stuck and can't seem to focus on work and other important stuff. What can you do to release the tension of the situation, move on, and be able to concentrate on more meaningful tasks?
Here are a few suggestions:
- Trust that something better is coming around the corner and that you were lucky not to have things go the way you had planned. (For example, I'm sure I'm about to run into a better sofa, one that weighs less, is more stylish, and fits into my office perfectly.)
- Realize that whenever something frustrating happens, it's a chance to grow. It's a wonderful opportunity to practice letting go, and in the process, you're teaching your brain that you're stronger than before. (For example, I don't need the bookcase to have an inspiring office, and being so attached to it forced me into a narrow state of mind.)
- Understand that circumstances are there to direct your focus in other directions. (For example - it's winter, why don't I enjoy it while it lasts?)
- Meditate. Accept the negative feeling and observe it. You'll see it's not as overpowering as you thought. You can also journal about it.
- Decide that this is a test from the universe (karma, God, whatever you want to call it), and if you pass it, you'll get a reward.
- Believe that it was not the time for the thing you wanted to happen. Its time will come later, and in the meantime, it's time for things that come naturally, easily, and without resistance.
- Make a cup of your favorite hot beverage and write down twenty-one things you're grateful for right now to reframe the irritating thing.
If you do all these seven, and still the feeling has a controlling hold of your spirit, email me at rk@worthinprogress.com and I'll help you personally.
RK
P.S. I also have wood wax under my nails. But it's okay because it means that my new desk is coming up and going to be stunning.
Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
