Everything a Teacher
This writing is Certified Human
Experience is not what happens to you It is what you do with what happens to you” — Aldous Huxley
The Obstacle
Difficulties arise
Plans don’t go as planned
Vacations
Weekends.
Chaos happens
What we want to do
Becomes interrupted.
The needs of others
Interfere with our desires.
The one thing we wanted to do
Gets sabotaged.
The sequence of events
Disrupted.
People can be difficult
Unreliable
Confrontational
Frustrating
Irritating.
Our mood frustrated
Resentful
Anxious
Stubborn.
When we want things to go a certain way
And they don’t
It can ruin our day
Weekend
Week
Vacation
Holiday.
For us
And everyone around us.
The Gift and Opportunity
Things often don’t go our way
Plans almost never go as planned
The order of events
Is usually disrupted
We can adapt
Everything in life
Can become a teacher
Patience
Virtue
Skills
Knowledge
Adaptability
Resolution.
Thing that doesn’t go our way
An opportunity for learning
Each obstacle to overcome
A skill
So the next time it happens
It’s not as difficult or frustrating.
Each person we don’t agree with
To listen better
Learn
Understand
So the next time we don’t agree
We move through it more skillfully.
When things don’t work
Be creative
Find a new way.
When everything goes to hell
Look inward and outward
Decide what matters
What’s actually important.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
• Notice the disruption
• Recalibrate to adaptability
• Choose what the moment can teach
• Turn the obstacle into practice
CHEAT CODE: NOTICE → RECALIBRATE → ADAPT → LEARN → MOVE FORWARD
The Why
This was a holiday weekend and nothing went as planned.
Our trip was delayed by a day because someone was not feeling well.
My outside work day was delayed by cold rainy weather.
We weren’t able to take a boat trip because the dealer delivered the boat with a dead battery.
None of this mattered really.
All of this could have ruined the holiday weekend trip. Years ago, it would have. I would have been anxious, frustrated, and miserable to be around.
But it didn’t and I wasn’t.
The delayed trip provided the kids a chance to go to the ball diamond and practice baseball.
The rain allowed us to teach the kids how to play Euchre.
The dead battery allowed us to get more done so the next time we have less work to do.
Everything that got in the way became something else fun or productive to do, by choice.
Instead of frustration, anxiety, and anger we shifted and enjoyed our time together with what was possible.
It became an opportunity for something different.
The weekend was not what I planned, but it was a teacher that show the family how to adapt and do the best with what we’re given.
