Thought for the Week: Make the Best of It

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What a perfect mantra for the week!  I think I love this quote because it returns some semblance of control to me in an otherwise uncontrollable world.  I know you are asking yourself if I am really that much of a control freak.  

Rest assured dear readers the answer is a resounding YES.

Though hard work, preparation, etc. etc., can lead to great results, we wouldn't be human if we didn't sometimes experience the disappointment that comes when things deviate from our careful plans.  Maybe it's a job interview, college acceptance, a relationship, a contract on a house, or your family situation.  Perhaps it's the more mundane parts of life like traffic during your morning commute or long lines at the grocery store.  Whatever the situation, our reaction can make or break the experience.  

My goal this week is to make the best of what comes along.  Does this mean I will sit passively and wait for things to happen to me?  Absolutely not.  I will still plan (see control freak above), work hard, and do everything in my power to make things turn out the way I hope.  However, when some things inevitably turn out differently than how I've planned, my response will be can be different too.  Rather than wallowing in disappointment, feeling frustrated, or analyzing what I could have done differently, my goal is to accept the situation and make the most of it.   Perhaps this manifests as a deeper faith that a great job, college, house etc. is just around the corner.  It could also simply mean accepting a traffic jam as a time to breath deeply and listen to a favorite song.  Whatever the implications of "making the best of it," it is a discipline that I want to cultivate this week and always.  

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on my life.  Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.  It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do... The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day...  I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.  And so it is with you.  We are in charge of our attitudes." 

- Charles Swindell

xo,