Why it is that life doesn’t always go our way? We move in one direction, he aded tow
ards some goal or outcome, having a clear focus of what we want to accomplish, and then bad news is delivered and there is a rigid road block. Our lives come to a sudden stop!
The source of our dilemma can be a person who makes a decision that impacts all our plans, and changes our destiny. Policies or rules stop us cold in our tracks. Accidents happen. Jobs are terminated. Diseases and illnesses are diagnosed. Loved ones die. Personal relationships crumble. We get angry and frustrated and think, Now what do I do?
There is a saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” I say, “Make margaritas!”
We all have choices to make when faced with insurmountable obstacles. We could choose to give up and abandon our dreams, or we can work through life’s challenges, and make the best of a bad situation. We may even find that the bad situation caused us to go a different direction and led us to amazing outcomes.
Most of the time, we want to move forward
with our lives and achieve the objectives we had in mind. By nature we want to get things done, and don’t give up easily. We are determined to make it work and committed to get it right.
When faced with problems on the road of life, we have to find a way to get past the road blocks either by removing them, going around them, or taking another road. I refer to this creative problem solving approach as going with plan B.
Plan B oftentimes takes us an alternative direction. I compare it to arriving at a fork in a road and choosing one path over another. We may not know where this path will take us as we travel into unfamiliar territory. By going with this plan, we are forced to think more creatively and look at the situation from a fresh perspective.
We have the same end result in mind, only this time we modify how we will get there. New resources are tapped, including our intellect. We often call upon the advice and advocacy of others to help us.
Many times it turns out in retrospect that Plan B yielded better results. Far more opportunities presented themselves. The new solution was much better; leading to results we never imagined when we started the problem solving process. We actually are able to use the circumstances that we were forced into to work to our advantage.
Over our life, we can look back at the times when we were forced to go with Plan B. As we learn from these experiences, we discover that the sooner we make the mental attitude shift away from our original plan (which isn’t working) to our new Plan B (which does work), the better off we will be. After many such positive experiences with Plan B, we will be prone to shift our thoughts more quickly when new predicaments arise.
Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. is a speaker and writer. To book her to speak at a conference, or to subscribe to her free monthly inspirational column, go to: http://www.RosemarieSpeaks.com.
Rosemarie conducts presentations that bring out the best in people, to help them achieve goals, and take charge of their lives. Rosemarie helps her audiences discover their inner strength. Her core message is focused on sharing information, strategies, and life lessons that provide the tools to LIVE LIFE WITH CONVICTION.
She is the author of “Take Back Your Life!” and is Ms. Wheelchair Ohio 2004.
Rosemarie would like to receive your comments about the impact her article has made on your life. Write her at: Rosemarie@RosemarieSpeaks.com
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