For most of us, having control over our lives is the way we feel safe. For others it is the way we manage juggling all parts of our lives (parenting, work, families). I believed that too - that if I was in control of everything I would feel safer and I could manage it all. I do not think that anymore. The only think I truly have control over is myself.
I will share a recent example. I was stuck on an airplane in Greensboro, NC with my husband and son. We were taking a short flight from Greensboro to Atlanta and then another flight from Atlanta to the West Coast. The plane we were on was not allowed to take off because the runway was congested in Atlanta, so we sat on the runway in Greensboro. The time we would have to make our connection in Atlanta was dwindling. It was in the later afternoon, which meant we might get stuck in Atlanta. I asked my husband to research our options.
In the past I would have spend all that time on the runway being pissed, frustrated, and angry that our trip was going to be thrown off, my son’s bedtime messed up, and that I might not make it back for appointments I had the following day.
This time I did something different. I made the choice to think about it differently.
I could enjoy the time sitting next to my son, I could read my book, I could fall asleep, I could watch a movie. I was stuck in the plane, I had no control over when we would get there, I had no control over when we would make it home. At that moment the only thing I had control over was my thoughts and how I showed up for my family.
Eventually we took off and landed in Atlanta. We arrived at our gate in Atlanta, and looked at the screen for where we would depart, we arrived at Gate 5 and found that we were departing to the west coast from Gate 5A. NEVER has that happened to me. Our gates were right next to each other. Atlanta is the airport that can take you an hour to get from one terminal to the next. Our plane was boarding and we still had time to get my son some FroYo.
I had a choice that day. I could have been angry, frustrated, and no fun to be around, or I could choose to be in control of my thoughts. I’m glad I chose how to show up. It was peaceful, I finished my book, and now I have a reminder for future trips.
What choices do you need to make about your thoughts today? I’m here to show you how capable you are of choosing how you want to think. Schedule time with me to talk further about how I can help you be a master at watching your thoughts and choosing what you want to think.
