Expect Obstacles for Peace of Mind

The past couple of weeks I have been noticing my resistance to day to day obstacles. I am observing my brain tell me as the obstacle occurs, this should not be happening, or even better, this is not fair. Yesterday, I had a breakthrough.

But first, let me tell you some of the things I have been resisting and saying “this should not be happening.”

• A car in front of me while driving slows down and turns left without signaling
• The cashier overcharges me for my item at the store and then it takes almost 30 minutes to resolve
• My back went out while picking up my son, keeping me in bed, on my back, in pain for almost 2 days.
• A car in my small town is driving on the wrong side of the road and almost hits me
• A person cuts in front of me in line at the post office
• Then there is the daily resistance of my feisty 4 yr old son

But yesterday, I WOKE UP to a new thought. It was raining here during Halloween, again, I notice my brain say, “this should not be happening.” BUT then I had another thought, a better thought, a thought that I actually let into my consciousness and held onto. It is not a “new” thought but it is a thought I am willing to hear this time. This thought was simple. It said IT IS RAINING, accept it and get curious. And just like that, I am enjoying the rain. I am looking up at the sky and letting the raindrops hit my face. I am feeling my clothes get wet and just noticing it without judgment or resistance. It actually felt exhilarating.

I went from feeling frustrated and annoyed to joyful and content, simply by changing my thought to the present moment. I then became more open to exploring the past couple weeks and re-framing.

Something I often refer to in my coaching practice is the inner critic, the thinking that leads from a place of fear. Fear of missing out, falling behind, not enough time, not enough money, not being successful. FEAR, FEAR, and FEAR.  What I know to be true is when I hear the word SHOULD, I am in the danger zone. I am not in the present and I am not in acceptance. In all of these daily moments above, one thing is clear, I am afraid. I am afraid of an accident, I am afraid of losing time and money, I am afraid of not having a healthy strong back. But when we resist the obstacle more and let the fear lead, than the cost is great. The costs being, lack of peace and contentment, lack of energy and lack of connection.

In that moment of waking up and getting present, I realize that the resistance takes more work than the acceptance. Today I am going to choose the acceptance in service of more peace, contentment, and energy. I invite you to lean into acceptance when an obstacle occurs. Accept it, get curious and then see what shifts, what changes, how do you feel when you choose to be in the moment?

Please share your experience and learning with me. I love hearing from you and connecting.