Do you beat yourself up for all the things you’re not getting done?
Or do you look back and celebrate all that you have accomplished?
When I got up the other morning I thought “great, I’ve got an hour” – I’ll do some journaling.
By the time I sat down, laptop open, fingers poised to type I had 10 minutes.
WTF – Where did 50 minutes go?
Clearing up a puddle on the floor from the pumpkin I’d left in a plastic bag a few days ago. Ew!
Getting rid of said pumpkin (and bag).
Putting the picnic blanket in soak that had been resting on the pumpkin and gone mouldy. Ew.
Feeding cats.
Putting collars with bells on cats to minimise the slaughter of beautiful wild animals.
Making a cup of tea.
Fussing & feeding the dog.
Finally sitting down to write to discover my laptop was flat.
Fetching charger.
Saying good morning to my son.
Ah……
Finally writing.
And then the dog starts barking wanting to be let out.
All in all, a fairly typical morning.
Yet one that had me starting to feel frazzled.
But that morning instead of falling down the rabbit hole of frustration – a place I’ve visited all too often in the past, I noticed that this was indeed a typical morning – it had been ever since we got the cats a year ago.
My mornings of getting up early, making tea and writing first thing had changed – yet I hadn’t acknowledged that – or even noticed. I was too busy getting frustrated and beating myself up for not getting up earlier.
I could lament the passing of those magical days – days that enabled me to write my book.
Or I could adapt to my new circumstances, knowing that when I had an hour before the rest of my family awoke, I didn’t actually have an hour to write, I had 15 minutes – maybe 30.
I could beat myself up for not getting up sooner (and if I had a pound for each time I’ve done that, I’d be very wealthy by now) or I could carve out time later in the day to write.
In that moment I realised just how much I had been focussing on all the things I didn’t do, instead of acknowledging all the things I did do.
I’d been fixating on things that frustrated me, instead of appreciating things that filled me with joy.
A subtle – yet huge shift.
What’s frustrating you right now?
Can you view it with detachment?
Does something need to shift in how you approach it?
Or does seeing it differently transform your whole experience of it?
In the first chapter of my book I talk about acceptance – and I share a process that will transform your whole experience of frustration and angst.
You can download it for free here:
https://workwith.melinaabbott.com/sacred-selling-chapter-one
