Call It as You See It
In baseball, the umpire makes the call for the pitches: foul, strike or ball. Coaches and players can argue all they want but the umpire has the final word. As umpire Bill Klem said: “It ain't nothing until I call it.” Our brains work the same way: an experience takes place and your brain immediately goes to work to make sense of it by creating a story. This story is colored by previous experiences and perspectives. Our brain makes the call: good, bad, hurtful, welcoming, etc. This story becomes the basis for our actions and quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Action follows thought.
Last week I caught the viral bug going around (yes, I loaded up on my herbs as soon as I realized what was happening) and was out of commission for a couple of days. Talk about bad timing! It was a busy week both in the store and at home and deadlines on a few projects were quickly approaching. I mentally spiraled into overwhelm. All I could see was what hadn’t been done and my low physical energy levels were fueling this crazy cycle of anxiety and overwhelm. My saving grace? I had recently restarted my daily meditation practice and decided to just sit and let it all pour over me without attaching judgement (one of my negative superpowers).
In that moment I got clear: I was viewing events as another block on my way to happiness, as an outside force trying to mess with me. Maybe a less passive and negative role (‘the world is out to do me poorly”) to a more engaging and active role (‘the world is out to do me good’) was needed? My aha! moment came with this insight: what’s the next challenge I can rise to? In that nanosecond my whole mood shifted. My approach became “Atta girl! You’ve got this! What’s next?” By stepping back and being curious I broke the oh-crap-it-just-keeps-getting worse narrative. After this awakening, the next steps became obvious and I was ready to step up to the plate.
In addition to meditation , another resource I’ve found extremely helpful is Marie Forleo. I’ve been a fan of hers for the past 4 years and have taken her on-line Copy Cure and B-School (business school) programs. She’s a life coach, motivational speaker, author and web television host of Marie TV. Her new book Everything is Figureoutable helps you “…train y our brain to think more creatively and positively-especially in the face of setbacks.” If you haven’t experienced Marie, go over to her website. Highly recommended!
*Sorry non-baseball fans for the sports metaphors! I was writing this while the Washington Nationals were working their way to becoming #1. Yeah Nats!!