God bless the person that ripped the front end off of my parked car. No, they did not have the decency to stop that night, but who knows what the issue was. Maybe they were taking their pregnant wife to the hospital. Maybe they were drunk. Maybe they had a warrant. Maybe a lot of things. I just know that worrying about the unknown would not help the fact that my bumper was hanging off its frame like a Band-Aid that didn’t get pulled hard enough. Man Dorinda, I can’t believe they did you like that. Actually, I can.
It is no coincidence that somebody hit my defenseless automobile in a parking spot at my apartment the day before I was to head to Central Michigan to speak at the Multicultural Student Leadership Conference. Nope, that resistance to my forward progress was what I needed to know I was on the right path.
They say that a breakthrough often feels a lot like a breakdown, so I encourage you to keep pushing. Whatever you are after might not come next week or next year, but I promise you if your vision aligns with God’s plan for your life, you will see it.
The deterrents that are in your way are simply trials. You can either view the situation as an obstacle or an obstacle course. To overcome either will require the same amount of effort and willpower; however, overcoming an obstacle course is a lot more fun. It’s a state of mind. It’s the story that you tell yourself about the situation and where you choose to direct your focus.
Yes, I was miffed when I saw that my fresh off the dealer lot brand new car with less than 4000 miles was mangled because of the careless actions of another. But what was getting and staying angry going to do? What help would a tirade of I’m so pissed Facebook posts have helped. A few likes from and a lot of Fake Love, I’ll pass.
If I’m going to tell this story, I’m going to tell it my way, I thought. You can’t write and speak positively without actually being positive when life throws you a sucker punch.
Either you’re going to believe the words you write and talk about every week or not. Which one is it? Believe.
Every day, choose to believe. Choose to believe that you are enough. Choose to believe that God has your back. Choose to tell yourself a positive story. Do not let your thoughts defeat you. Your circumstances may knock you down, but the thoughts you think about what happened to you keep you on the ground or help you rise to the challenge.
Think about what you are thinking about.
You have to make a choice to get back up and stay up. You have to make a choice to tell a positive story about the circumstance. The story that you tell yourself is the key.
For example, I can’t believe somebody hit my car. That ***hole is going to pay when I find them (even though you never will). Now, I’m going to call every relative, friend and person whose name starts C and complain about an unknown person I will never find. I’m going to be mad for three and half days until somebody talks me from off the ledge because apparently, God hates me, my life is over, and I get all the bad breaks. I know I have insurance, but it’s the principle. I have the right to be angry and waste hours of my life complaining about something I cannot change. Don’t try to stop me. Just listen to me complain for hours.
Or…
Things happen. I have insurance, and I saved money for situations like these. Paying the deductible is a lot better than paying for all of the damage. If I move around some things in my budget, it shouldn’t be an issue. The driver probably didn’t want to deal with the police or something. It’s messed up, but I get it. God bless them and whatever they are going through where they feel like they couldn’t stop. Humans are going to human.
Life is all about the story you tell yourself. We don’t react to what happened. We react to what we tell ourselves about what happened. Sometimes we are right. Sometimes we are wrong. Either way, we make a choice. Think about that next time you are dealing with an unpleasant situation.
Make a choice to stay positive. The moment you blame someone or something else. You make a choice to give away your power. You just gave up your option to fix the situation if you want to. Sometimes, you won’t want to. He cheated one too many times. She lied one too many times. I get it. However, you control how you react. Keep your peace. Keep your power. Do not give them away. You need that for your happy. You need that to move forward.
..and just like that, we are back!
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I am always inspired when I read you blog. It makes me just want to rise a little higher.
Thank you! Keep rising!
This was good for me to see today… thank you for reminding me that humans will be human.
I love that, “humans will be human.” I strive to offer the same grace to others that I offer to myself. Thank you for reading and leaving feedback!