It’s Monday. It’s the first of the month. There is a full moon. It’s crazy. It’s wild.
Have you heard any of these things before? There is chaos all around us. Walking into the kitchen and dishes are in the sink. You see clean clothes that should be put away, dirty clothes that should be washed. You walk into the office and are immediately bombarded with issues/requests/complaints/etc. It’s easy to get caught up in some of these things and let them overwhelm you. Stop for a moment and remember how you react to the chaos is a choice…it’s your choice.
While thinking about this, I was taken back to Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits, and specifically, Habit 1, being Proactive. Yes, there are things that are outside of your control, your circle of concern, but focus needs to be applied to the things you can control, your circle of influence. The question that needs to be asked is, “Can I do anything about this?” If the answer is yes, then get off your butt, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and do it. If the answer is no, then be a litter bug and drop that trash right where you are. It’s doing you absolutely no good to continue to carry and worry about it.
A couple of examples: 1) dirty dishes in the sink…can you do anything about it? Yes, you can wash the dishes. 2) the rain outside…can you do anything about it? No, you have no control over the weather.
The difference is in the choice, the mindset, how you look at things. This will be foreign to you at first, but like anything else, it will get easier the more you do it.
Another aspect that helps you find peace in the chaos is looking for the positive.
Looking back at the weather example, you can’t do anything about the rain, but you do really enjoy the spring flowers. If it wasn’t for the rain, the flowers wouldn’t have the nourishment they need to bloom so beautifully. Shifting the focus and finding a positive amid all the chaos will help you to become less affected by it as you move forward.
Your self talk is another aspect that can help you find peace among the chaos.
Instead of, “I have to deal with this problem at work,” maybe, “I get to figure out what went wrong.” Instead of “I have to do the dishes again,” maybe, “I get to do the dishes so we have clean plates to eat off of.”
The shift in thinking can help put things into a better perspective for you.
Everyone deals with something. Everyone has different levels of chaos. Something that may be small to you, could be huge to someone else. Regardless of the level of chaos, knowing that everyone deals with it should help some. You are not alone. Also realizing that its not just because it’s Monday, or that its a full moon, or that its the beginning of the month, that is causing the chaos. Chaos is always there, allowing us to take on as much as we want; however, by making a few changes to how you view and approach things, will begin to allow you to see past the chaos.