It Could Be
Learn how to let go of labeling life’s events as simply good or bad.
Finding the good in “good days” is easy but finding it when things go wrong takes practice. Discover the mindset of “maybe” and how to embrace ALL that life is going to give us, because despite how it may seem, it could be what we need.
It Could Be
Episode Transcript
[THEME MUSIC PLAYS]
DENISE: Welcome and thank you for joining into today’s Positive Forward Motion. This is your host, Denise Scattergood.
Each week I discuss a topic that is designed to help you get more of what you do want, and less of what you don’t want, both personally and professionally.
My goal is to add value to other’s by sharing a topic in 8 minutes or less. Topics that will empower, motivate, and inspire you to have more happiness and success.
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DENISE: Today’s topic is “It could be”!
I am not sure how or why I was fortunate enough to have a mindset to find the good in most every situation. Perhaps it was a survival instinct that I adapted at a young age.
Finding the good in good days is easy and finding meaning or purpose when things go wrong, or not as planned, takes practice.
Somedays life is easier than others, and with practice we can get better.
Many of us can get caught up in a trap of labeling everything that happens in our life as either good or bad, positive or negative, right and wrong. And This can rob us of our joy and make us miss the lessons that life is trying to teach us.
This reminds of a great Taoist story of how things could be seen as good or bad when in reality, things really just are.
Let me share the story with you:
Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “Oh, We are so sorry to hear your horse ran away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”
The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky! What a great turn of events. Now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”
The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”
The next day military officers came around to enlist people in the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again, all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”
In this story, the farmer consistently refrained from thinking of things in terms of gain or loss, advantage or disadvantage, because you know what? One never knows. Matter of fact, we never really know whether an event is misfortune or fortune.
What we do know is that we are still alive to experience life. And that, my friends, is fortunate.
I personally still enjoy walking around wearing what I call my rose-colored glasses. And I try to find the good in all situations, because this helps me to move forward through life with hope and faith and enthusiasm. But we’re all different and for some of us this may be difficult.
So today I encourage you take the mindset of “maybe” because no matter what, life will happen. Change is going to take place and all I know for sure is that with practice and focus we can choose to embrace all that live is going to give us.
So, the next time you find yourself is situation such as maybe you’re stuck in traffic, or you lock your keys in your car, or you lose the love of your life, or you don’t get the promotion that you wished for, or you don’t get accepted to the college you applied for. Or maybe even broke a bone!
Rather than look at these events as good or bad, adapt the farmers point of view of “Maybe” and keep moving forward in faith, hope, and enthusiasm that you are still able to enjoy all that life has to offer.
Because no matter what happens, it could be just what you needed!
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DENISE: If you would like a free PDF worksheet of this episode’s action steps, you can find a downloadable link under each podcast episode on my website, DeniseScattergood.com.
Don’t forget to stay in the loop of all things Positive Forward Motion by following me on Instagram and Facebook @DeniseScattergood, and you can find me on Twitter @AlertTrainers.
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If you like this episode, please review and share the podcast to help us spread our message of Positive Forward Motion around the world, and don’t forget to tune in every Wednesday for a brand-new episode!
As always, I am wishing you continued success and happiness both personally and professionally and remember to keep up the Positive Forward Motion!
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