“Flexible people are happy people.”
I have a dear friend, Geralee, who has been, and continues to be an incredible source of wisdom in my life.
She shared this thought with me several years ago, and I can’t tell you the number of times it has come to my rescue!
“Flexible people are happy people.”
A few years back, my husband and I were traveling home from a fun week at Lake Powell with some amazing friends (Geralee was one of themπ), when we hit a flash flood. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The road looked wet, but before we knew it, our car was engulfed and we had mud and water up to our windows. Sooo crazy!
We had left our vacation a little early to be able to get home in time to help another friend with her daughter’s wedding. But this impeccable timing, this incredibly out of the ordinary event, drastically changed our plans.
How do you react when things don’t go your way?
Do you get uptight, stressed out and frantic when things don’t go according to plan?
Do you snap at people you love and feel like the world is plotting against you?
“Flexible people are happy people.”
Flexibility isn’t a circumstance, it’s a choice, -it’s a state of mind.
It’s asking the question, “How is this FOR me?”
As our car was being towed back to Hanksville, I was filled with joy. We weren’t hurt, I knew we could find solutions to our problem (there is ALWAYS a solution), and I couldn’t help but wonder what horrible thing, this stopping of our progress in the moment, had saved us from.
Perhaps we had been prevented from experiencing something much worse.
Believing that things will always work out for us, helps us to find the blessing in the trial.
“How is this exactly as it should be?”
“What is the gift in this?”
“What am I meant to learn here that will bless my life?”
Going with the flow when you’re not able to have control will help you relieve the tension, resistance and stress.
This is just such a great life hack!
Next time you’re running late, you forget an appointment, your order is completely wrong… just remind yourself, “Flexible people are happy people.” And then notice how your feelings improve.
When your spouse doesn’t follow your plan, consider that just maybe, it’s for the best.
When you disagree about how to budget or discipline the kids, or plan the vacation…
Ask yourself, “Why is it so important for me to get my way?” “Is there another way of looking at this?”
Tell yourself, “Flexible people are happy people.” And then direct your brain to relax.
I promise you this feels much better than arguing with reality.
And isn’t that what we all want? To feel good?
And here’s the golden nugget, as you practice believing that things are all working out in the best way for you, you’ll come to see that it’s absolutely true.
Wishing you all a happy, flexible day!
