Stepping Aside

"The beginning is always today."

Mary Shelley

In my career, I was highly organized with lists, calendars, and due dates; however, in my private life I was definitely a procrastinator.  The oxymoron ... organized procrastinator ... provided situations when my boundaries were overrun by unanticipated events.   I would become stressed, overwhelmed, and would take days to quit beating my lovely self up.

In time, I learned to exercise the concept of each day being a new beginning.  The flexibility of readjusting allowed me to get back on track much faster and at far less cost to my self respect.  Deep breaths and revamping time spans, allowed me to move forward anew.

Whether we are meeting with the CEO or the head of the PTO, intrusions can throw us off our intended plans. Apologize and request another time ... no excuses or backstories.  Worry and criticism does nothing but cause stress, deepening our anxiety.  When we allow a new beginning, life unfolds sometimes with an exceptional plan. When we come upon a detour, simply step aside and begin again.

Original Thought Has Prior History

"Every thing must have a beginning ... and that beginning

must be linked to something that went before ...

Mary Shelley

In the midst of emphasis on authenticity and originality, it is important to remember that our thoughts are based on previous experience.  We may have heard music or an argument, filed it in our memory bank, and it decides to surface years later.  As we live life, we accumulate experiences physically, emotionally, and spiritually that will creatively contribute to current life situations.

An Abnormal Psychology Professor shared the story of how intolerant he was with a new student.  He was aware how critical his responses and grading became with this particular young man based on some bias he could not decipher.  As he was looking at the liver colored freckles sprawled across the student's face and the matching rusty colored hair,  the teacher was startled to realize how much this individual reminded him of the Springer Spaniel that had severely attacked him as a child.  

We collect information consciously or unconsciously, and as challenge approaches us, we create a  calculated response to the situation.  The emphasis is on how we blend information together so that it is unique to ourselves.  How we use our knowledge depicts wisdom of our own.