When things do not go according to plan it’s easy to second guess yourself, blame yourself and/or others or worse. Let me remind you–to thine own self be true. “Know” yourself and “no” yourself. This means to have knowledge as well as discipline.
I just personally went through some very trying times. I could have whined more. I could have pointed the crooked finger of blame. What I found to be the most effective was to sit still. In the stillness came clarity. Let me explain.
- When I stopped trying to put out each little fire as it erupted, I was able to take in the whole picture rather than viewing just one small snapshot.
- I was able to see other areas which required my attention and would later have an effect on the overall end result.
- I was able to hear myself think, listen for the Spirit’s guiding by quieting my own need for busyness that was not truly part of the solution.
STOP! THINK! LISTEN!
I want to take this moment to remind you that we are human. While some of us don’t feel that excuses us from error, the fact remains we are mere mortals. Lighten up! Those high expectations and lofty ideas may not be in accordance with God’s master plan for you. This does not by any means determine that you should “give up” either. I want to encourage you to allow for some “wiggle room.”
Do these shoes make my butt look big?
Think back to your childhood days when it was time to buy new shoes for the school year. You’d slide your foot into that new shoe and shoe salesperson would be perched in front of you pressing on the toe of your shoe. “Can you wiggle your toes?” they would ask. Have you ever bought a pair of shoes that “fit” however, there was no room to wiggle your toes? Well, in the same manner, we cram our plans, agendas and the like into the shoe called life and don’t leave any wiggle room. In business, there is a term called, “a margin of error.” While we don’t want to think we are in error, we need to realize life happens and we won’t always foresee every possible variable in every situation. Leave room for growth and change–wiggle room, if you will.
How do you recover from unexpected changes in the careful plans you have made? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to comment here on this blog post or visit me on my facebook biz fanpage. Go out and share your sunshine with someone! ~ Kim
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8 NIV
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