Ripples #1015: Seizing Control of Life!
Nov 5, 2018
PEBBLE
You may not control life’s circumstances, but getting to be the author of your life means getting to control what you do with them.
-Atul Gawande, shared by Holly in Phoenix, AZ
BOULDER
So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.
-Stephen Chbosky, shared by Sarah in Fond du Lac, WI
PONDER
Let’s start with an understatement: there is a lot going on in the world right now. There might also be a lot going on for you personally with school, work, or just life in general. Sometimes in the swirl of all the things happening around us and to us, we forget that we do have choices about how to respond even when it seems like we don’t.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed right now, stand up and say (out loud if possible): “I want to feel better than I do right now!” See if you can identify some action that often helps you feel better. If nothing comes to mind, you could try one from my list: brush your teeth; walk briskly around the block; or drink a glass of water.
Next, choose a relatively small action to make progress on something that you need to attend to: a household chore, a school/work project, or a small kindness that will be appreciated by someone else in your life. Hopefully it will give you a lift, or at the very least you’ll be able to cross off at item from your to do list. Small wins provide a feeling of progress that serve as motivation to keep on moving forward. And that momentum will help you seize control of life.
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
P.S. Vote. Please. It matters. So much.
