A few weeks ago, I sat down in my office, grabbed my yellow legal pad and dialed in to a conference call on self-acceptance. I propped my foot up on a chair and began to think about my recent foot surgery. Here’s a peek inside my head that day…
- Can’t believe I had to have surgery AGAIN.
- My foot hurts.
- Recovery is going to take forever.
- This sucks!
Pretty ugly.
The conference call started and distracted me from my thoughts, but they were still there, dancing around in the back of my mind.
At the end of the call, I looked down and noticed that I had jotted about half a page of notes. I hung up and thought – geez, didn’t really get much out of that call. In fact, I posted this comment on one of my coaching forums:
When I visited the coaching forum the next day, I saw a bunch of rave reviews for the call and thought to myself – hmm.
I decided to listen to call again and had a completely different experience. Five pages of notes later, I emerged enthusiastic and enlightened, having learned so much. I couldn’t wait to share it all with my clients.
What changed?
Someone else showed up for that second call. Someone who was excited and curious and open. The way we “show up” in the world can have a profound impact on our experiences – and not just a single conference call, but the course of our lives.
I didn’t judge myself for showing up to the first call in a sour mood. I simply took note and stored the info in my life lessons file. To be honest, I’m glad it happened. Ever since that call, I’ve been so much more in tune with my feelings and how they influence my outcomes.
You can apply this concept to weight loss as well. I’ve worked with clients who approach weight loss with feelings of dread and doubt and others who arrive with feelings of curiosity and hope. I don’t think I need to tell you which clients have better results.
Sometimes we’re going to have bad days and our best self isn’t going to show up. That’s okay and totally normal. I can’t think of anyone who is in a good mood all of the time.
But, instead of blaming the conference call speaker, our spouse, or the person who cut us off on the way to work for our less than fabulous experiences, stop and think about who showed up in the first place.
If judgement was there when you met your new boss – you probably didn’t like her.
If anger got out of bed yesterday – I bet you had a crummy day.
If impatient drove you to work this morning – the commute was likely awful.
You are the creator of your life.
You can make it a great life – or not.
It’s your choice.