Living Simply: Persistence

     Persistence - what does it mean? It means a firm continuance of a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Feel like the odds are stacked against you? Feel like you're banging your head against the wall? Feel like even when you do everything right, someone or something else makes it all get derailed, causing them no stress but makes your life infinitely more difficult? I've been there...and I'm there right now. I write as something to add value to your life, and because I need to think, see, and read this for my own life right now too. We're in this together, and no matter where we come from, we're all the same deep down.

     I have many plates spinning right now. It's not my intentional plan, but there are a few things that must happen simultaneously right now, or bad things will happen later on - so although it's not AS simple as I'd like, I do know that it's very temporary. In fact, in just a few days, many of the things that have me frustrated will be moving forward, in one direction or another, and life will be intentionally more simple once again. But for the next 24 hours, many things need my intention that cannot be delegated, nor ignored.

     So how do we get through situations like this? We feel frustrated, our head is racing, emotions are right on the edge of a flair up. I know what I'm choosing right now as I'm writing this to you. I choose to do the following:

1.  Stop. Breathe. Long exhale. Repeat a few more times. Okay, ready for step 2.

2.  Remove the emotion of the situation. It doesn't help anyone or anything progress forward anyway. Drop the frustration. Clear your mind. Continue breathing slowly and intentionally.

3.  Get re-centered. Okay. Here's how we're going to approach this...

4.  Logic. It's the only thing that can actually make a positive difference anyway. Logically, I know this situation is temporary. Logically I know I can't MAKE people do their jobs right - so since it's beyond my control to do that - my ONLY option is to let it go. Now, let's work on solutions that may help.

5. Here's where persistence comes in. Tomorrow I will call those with authority to make some positive changes, CALMLY explain the situations necessary, and find out either a new plan of action or have new insight into how things are likely to unfold going forward. I will be persistent as I tackle each problem on the list, working down a numbered, prioritized list. I will logically figure out what things I need in front of me to make those calls. I will choose to proceed without emotions getting all worked up.

6.  If all else fails, I will continue being persistent by having a Plan B in place to intentionally move the ball forward in each situation.

     Will I get all the things done to my satisfaction in one day? No. But I logically accept that so I'm not thrust into an emotional state when things don't go perfectly. Will I feel like something important came of my calls? Yes, because I know I will at least have something to do, somewhere to go, or someone to speak to so things move forward. By the end of tomorrow, this temporary situation will be handled to the best of my ability. I will know I did my part - persistently pursuing a more favorable outcome than where things are at right now. I will have intentionally chosen how to handle obstacles in my life, and be able to resume a more simple life moving forward.

     And you will too. Hang in there. Don't give up. Don't let a temporary situation cause you to lose focus of what's important to you. You CAN handle your "stuff" too. Good luck. May you be successful in all you decide to do.