Episode 21: You have to decide

Today’s episode is going to be extra quick but incredibly powerful! 

Let’s start off with a story because those are the most relatable, and they also show you that I’m human just like you. The other day I woke up in a mood! Anyone ever had that happen? Mine was a result of unresolved emotions from the night before. I had made a parenting mistake with one of our kids right before bed and it was eating me up. But instead of taking ownership of it, I started finding all of these reasons to blame my husband for my error. Naturally, it’s all his fault, right? I went to bed slightly annoyed but figured I would wake up in the morning and feel better… wrong. Our emotions don’t just disappear because we ignore them or go to sleep.  So in the morning, I was in a mood, I started picking little fights with Phil about stupid things. Anyone ever done that? 

Here’s the crazy thing, most of the time the things we say that we’re frustrated about and are picking fights about isn’t even the real issue. It’s usually something else that we didn’t deal with, that then piles up, and then we snap over the most ridiculous things which had nothing to do with what we were actually frustrated or upset about in the first place. 

So often when I start picking silly little fights, it’s not that I’m frustrated with my husband, it’s that I’m actually frustrated with myself. I see a reflection of the things that are bothering me about myself and I take it out on him. Which is not fair for him, and it’s not healthy for me. 

When you find yourself in these moments, where one frustration leads to another, and to another: When you have big emotions that feel like they’re taking over and you’re spinning out of control – remind yourself that you have a choice! At some point, you have to decide that it’s not worth draining your bandwidth anymore. And then choose to be done with it! 

That morning I had a choice, Am I going to let this steal my joy and ruin the day that had just begun or am I going to decide that enough is enough. 

I chose to face my real frustration which was myself, I chose to own up to my mistakes and apologized to my kiddo for what happened the night before, and then I apologized to my husband for spiraling and blaming him for all the things that morning and chose to turn my attitude around. And Yes it really is that simple. 

You can decide to interrupt your spiraling thoughts

You can decide to stop the crazy cycle

And You can decide to stop draining your bandwidth with the drama you’ve created. 

The choice is yours. 

One of the hardest parts about personal growth is that when you take a closer look you realize that it’s on you and that’s not always easy to swallow, mainly for our pride and ego. But if we can remove those things and be honest with where we’re at, we can make so much progress. 

Friends you can’t stop the emotions from coming, but you can control your response to those big emotions. 

So next time you find yourself in a similar situation being taken over by emotions and spiraling out of control, remember that you have a choice! 

You have the power to pivot

you have the power to flip the script, 

and you have the power to transform your mind, your attitude, and your day! 

When you choose to do these, you will watch your energy and your happiness soar!