Three Paths
“Do not wish for events to happen as you want them to, but rather want them to happen as they do, and your life will go well.” — Cleanthes
The Obstacle
The paths are laid before us.
We decide which to walk
And for how long.
We will struggle every day.
Circumstances will not unfold as we wish.
People will disappoint.
Things constantly get in the way.
Nothing goes as planned.
Disappointment in outcomes and in people.
The universe refuses bend to our will.
We must adapt.
Time will continue to pass
We will continue to exist.
How we move forward
What we carry with us
Is a choice.
We can choose to stay frustrated
Battle against the situation
Wish things were different
Wish we were somewhere else
With someone else
Doing something else.
We can hold on to misery
Anger
Frustration
Resentment
Avoid the inevitable and waste time
Keep walking that path
Hunched under the burden.
Or we can refuse to take another step under that load.
The Gift and Opportunity
When something doesn’t go our way
We get to choose our path.
There are three basic ways we can travel.
One: Stay
Angry
Frustrated
Disappointed
Miserable.
Holding on to how things could have been
Should have been
How we wish they were.
How will that work out for you?
Two: Accept and move on.
Not because we agree.
Not because this is what we wanted.
Because what is IS.
What we do with it is the power we hold.
Refuse to add more negativity to what already is.
Make the best with where we are.
This acceptance may need to happen many times before it sticks.
Negative thoughts will return
Uninvited
With persistence.
They will lure us back into misery.
Each time
Refuse
Accept and move on.
Three: Find the Gift or Opportunity.
Everything can be turned into a gift or opportunity.
Not everything needs to be converted.
Not everything should be.
With most things we can accept and move on.
If we decide to look for the gift or opportunity
What might be learned?
What skill can be gained?
What insight is available?
What action could be taken?
How can this “bad” thing make us stronger
Better
More skilled
Wiser?
We would not wish for it to have happened
But we can choose growth from it
Using it to move forward.
Choose your path.
Why stay miserable when we don’t have to be?
We’re here regardless.
We have to move at some point.
Choose what you carry with you.
Choose how you move forward.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
Notice mood and feelings
Turn aside internal and external complaints
Choose acceptance or opportunity instead of misery
Move forward deliberately, not reactively
CHEAT CODE: NOTICE → CHOOSE YOUR PATH → ACCEPT OR LEARN → GET MOVING
