You Got That Right!

My daughter got frustrated the other day. Really frustrated. So frustrated that in her frustration, she acted out and had to face some consequences.

After some time passed, we talked. I asked her why she did what she did. She said, “Mommy, I was upset.” I asked her to remind me of the 3 exercises her teacher taught them to use whenever they became upset or frustrated. These exercises were designed to help them to calm down and be a better judge of how to respond to whatever it is that is upsetting them. The only one she could remember was “deep belly breathing.”

I told her that “the next time you get frustrated, even if you can’t recall all three steps, focus on the one step you do recall. You’ll be better off than having done nothing at all. If ‘deep belly breathing’ is all you can think to do, then ‘deep belly breathing’ it is!”

As these words flowed from my mouth to our ears, I realized that I too needed to hear this life lesson: be motivated as you capitalize on what do have or what you do know and understand rather than being paralyzed by all that you lack.

We are so used to noting our weaknesses as we try to fix them. It is more encouraging and empowering to, instead, focus on our strengths and discover ways we can build upon them. Stay in that space. Celebrate that space. Focus on those qualities. Then you will be better equipped to deal with the weaker, less refined areas of your life from a place of strength. We all have areas of strength, stuff we are down-right great at doing, things we whip together like no other, ways about us that this world should not do without!

So what if they all did well and you didn’t. So what if they all have one and you don’t. So what if you are still there doing that and they have all moved on. Ok . . . so . . . there were 3 steps and you can only recall one. Take that one step and work! it! out!

When all is said and done, none of us will have gotten it all right, but this challenge to focus on what you can do, what you do have, and what you do know—let it be true that you got that right!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

Philippians 4:8