Masterful Mindsets – Shit Happens!
Question:
Have you ever used the term “Shit happens!”? (Or maybe you prefer to say, “Disappointments happen.”) Do you believe that bad things happen to you for no apparent reason? Do you believe that life is full of unpredictable events that you have no control over but yet they mold the future of your life?
Action Challenge:
I don’t really know who said it first, some believe the phrase has been around since the early 60’s, while others think it was ‘Forrest Gump’ who coined the term, but the profoundness of these two simple words can ring in your ears and burn through your heart like wildfire. But let’s examine this a little further shall we? Most often the way this expression is used is in a negative way. It’s a line right out of what I like to call the “Pessimists’ Anthem”. It’s a reminder to us that there will always be something – some obstacle that will stand in our way at one point or another in our lives. Maybe it’s a fender bender, a broken bone, an unexpected bill or a layoff from work. Maybe it’s a bad break up or just a bad haircut. Shit happens! And like a well meaning know-it-all that would give you the, “I told you so” speech, these two words can really put a damper on your future if you believe it to be true as a negative thing. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. What if you use the saying as a positive reminder? A reminder not to worry, but to move on… an empowering statement that even thought things happen – you can persevere, grow and succeed anyway.
Look back on your life, I bet you can recall several occasions when adversity showed up and caused you to have to push harder or take a new direction. But no matter what, those times are only part of what got you where you are today – for better or worse. What maybe you don’t realize is that it wasn’t just those incidences but your attitude and actions in response to them that created your current situations.
My challenge for you is to turn that phrase into a positive. Have some fun with it. It is what it is… shit happens. You can’t control everything. But what you choose to do about what you can control… your mindset, your focus and your actions – that will make the difference. YOU will make the difference in any situation.
***I want to hear from you… share your thoughts about this week’s topic below.