Today I spent a great deal of time sitting on crowded buses that were going nowhere because of a major accident that I didn't know about until after Bus 1 and figured would be resolved before Bus 2. So, in both cases, there I sat, unable to do much of anything except accept being late, wondering if there was something I could have done, should have done, to change the course of events.
From a very early age, we are conditioned to believe that what we do (or don't do) makes a difference in our circumstances. "Beyond our control" is the exception rather than the rule. But sometimes, as much as we'd like to think otherwise, we really DON'T have control over what's happening. Today, I certainly couldn't anticipate or change a traffic accident and the resulting hours of traffic chaos. Often, we can't anticipate or change the craziness of the workplace or the job market. What we can change is how we react to those "circumstances beyond our control."
I can't say that I reacted well today in the bus situations. Did I have a book with me to read? No. Did I write my entire blog post (and the ones for the next three days) while sitting and going nowhere? Nope. I got stressed out. Very stressed out. Not one of my shining moments.
If I (or any of us) reacted that way on a regular basis to "circumstances beyond our control," we wouldn't get very far in life or in work. It is often when we break through the lack of control that we discover the best in ourselves. We can make changes in how we work, how we present ourselves, how we measure our success. In life, more so than in buses, "beyond our control," is more an opportunity for progress than an invitation to helplessness, and it is an opportunity we should take whenever possible.
Next time, I'll try to react better in a bus mess. And for now, I'll start taking opportunities wherever I can find them.
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