Questioning Life

How often do we wonder if we’re attending the wrong events, wearing the wrong outfit, spending time with the wrong people? Are we living the wrong life? The right life? What would it take to live a life you dream? Can a little shift every day make a difference that will add up to attaining that life you dream?

I began a week ago shifting one little thing a day. The first I worked on was the frustration I felt while trying to get all the programs setup during onboarding for my new job, remotely. I sent helpdesk ticket after ticket and received not always helpful responses, but for the first time in my life, on the second day of the ongoing errors in setup, I stopped reacting. I acknowledged I was expecting a different outcome than what actually happened, so when I received the last message for setup, instead of responding reactively in words, I simply gave a thumbs up and left the house to get a coffee. I saw that responding would only extend the messaging that wasn’t helping and wouldn’t have any impact at that point.

I think of all the times I’ve let occurrences similar to this drive me crazy and put me on the defensive. I had an inane idea that I had to tell them what I knew in response to all the suggestions they gave. I think it was some fear of coming across as in idiot! Mind boggling – the things we think and do because we have built these almost imperceptible beliefs around sometimes pretty small things. It’s funny how small my IT frustration seems now. And I know IT’s role is to send any and all help, whether someone knows one of the solutions or not.

So, my little shift to a thumbs up without any response, and leaving the house, broke me out of the thinking I was in. It changed the trajectory of my day. I was able to focus and be happy when I got back to work. It also shifted me into thinking I was happy to have this new position, and thankful for the people on my team I think I’ll work well with. I worked well the rest of the day, and it wasn’t flaw-free, but what arose didn’t trigger me any longer that day.

In shifting like this, I know I am living a happier life. One filled with more joy instead of more frustration. That is a life I am happy to live.