My Relationship Remedies tour started off with an opportunity for thought work application before I even arrived at the first event. So fun.
Here’s the scene: I’m driving to meet my Bees at the hostess’ home on Jack Rabbit Run (such a fun street name, yes?).
Anyway, I’m driving along listening to Siri on my GPS when suddenly my phone goes black. Not “needs to be plugged in” black, but “nothing will get me back to working status” black.
The event is set to start in T-minus 20 mins. I’ve got my pens and paper and snacks set to go. Outline is ready. I know I’m less than 5 minutes from where I’m supposed to be, but I’m realizing that could be 5 minutes in any of a hundred different directions with an infinite possibility of turns along the route.
Whelp.
What now?
Enter thought work.
Two years ago, I would have, for sure, pulled over and cried. I can’t call my husband. Can’t call the hostess. It’s too close to start time and I’ll never make it. All of that thinking would have led to despair, self-pity and me not making it to see the Bees who’d registered for an afternoon of working together.
That was option one.
Fortunately, I’ve been in the thought work world for a while, so I chose another route.
I consciously redirected my brain to the thought, “I can totally figure this out.” Feelings of determination and creativity followed.
I took a deep breath and looked around me to land my gaze on a Walmart off to my right. Perfect. I’ll stop there and ask customer service for old school directions. I’d seen my parents do that in 80s and before cell phones, I myself had printed instructions off MapQuest. This was totally doable.
I strode into the store only to see that Saturday afternoon is quite a busy time for Walmart customer service employees. Staring down a line of no less than 15 people, my brain offered me some self-doubt.
Okay.
17 mins left til I’m supposed to be welcoming my Bees to the Relationship Remedies event.
What would I do if this line wasn’t a problem?
Again, I consciously redirected my brain away from freaking out and giving up to the thought, “I can totally handle this.”
I took another deep breath and looked around me again. This time my gaze landed on the elderly Walmart greeter sitting alone at his station.
My brain immediately told me he wouldn’t have a cell phone or if he did he wouldn’t know how to access maps to give me directions.
I shushed the judgmental, defeatist voice in my brain and headed over to see what the two of us could work out – fully believing that we would work something out.
When I explained my situation, he smiled, pulled out his phone and used voice activation to get me the information I needed. I wrote the steps from Walmart to Jack Rabbit Run on the back of a tire ad Walmart was running that day and thanked him for his time.
Back in my car, I looked down at my chicken scratch instructions and realized that I didn’t know which street surrounding Walmart was the starting street on my list.
My brain said, “see… you’re never gonna get there.”
But by this point, it was a game. I chuckled to myself, took a deep breath and chose a street. I reminded myself that “I can totally figure this out.” and kept on going.
12 mins left.
I pulled onto the street and looked up for street signs. Wrong one. No biggie. Pulled into a Wendy’s to turn around and off I went. Believing the entire time that “I can totally figure this out.”
I arrived at Jack Rabbit Run at precisely 1pm. Right when the event was supposed to begin. I set up my whiteboard, welcomed my guests and opened by using this exact story as an example of how thought work is the key to creating the life you want to live.
I could have sat on the side of the road and cried. People would have understood. Probably. We could have rescheduled. I could have offered refunds.
But it was so much more satisfying to Defy Gravity, redirect the thoughts that would have held me down and show up as the type of life coach I really want to be. The type who keeps her commitments, rolls with the punches and shows her clients how to do the same.
All thoughts are optional, Bees. Choose yours purposefully. Your life will thank you for it.
Photo by Carlos Santiago on Unsplash
