“How you do anything is how you do everything.” I use this phrase in my live workshop and online course Cultivating Inner Peace. It’s a phrase that has been percolating in awareness a lot recently and that means I need to explore it. Want to explore with me?
Trudging through mud, creating a path in the deep undergrowth of a jungle, going to the dentist, or learning something new may seem hard. When we have something hard going on in our lives how do we get through it? Do we fuss and fret our way through? Do we get quiet and allow the answers to filter into our minds. Do we fling things across the room in frustration – or at least wish we could?
What about when we have a little irritation? Those times when one of our children has left the kitchen drawer open again. Or hubby has put his dirty laundry on the floor beside the laundry basket. The times when we know how to play tennis but for some reason we can’t seem to get that ball across the net on the important points. How do we get through those times? Do we focus on what has not been done? Do we fuss and fret about each little thing or maybe imagine our racquet sailing across the net in frustration?
I ask because how we handle the small irritations in life is how we will handle the bigger challenges of life. If we are not handling those small things well, we won’t have the means to handle the bigger challenges in life with ease. How we do anything, including the little things, is how we do everything.
Ah, now I see why this has been niggling in my brain! Learning to play golf has been quite a journey for me. It’s just a game but it’s amazing how my stomach gets tied up in knots when I cannot seem to get the shot to go where I want it. Also true for me when life gets a bit askew. How about you? Can you see how those little irritations mirror the bigger challenges you face? Are you happy with how you manage it all? If so, let me know how! If not, I have some strategies that I’m working on.
Awareness is the first step to creating change. Now that I’m aware I watch myself more carefully when I’m playing golf. As the knots in my stomach start to accumulate on the golf course I begin my conscious breathing technique. I then move my focus and attention to what has been working instead of how the last shot was in the bush! I’m happy to report that my game is slowly becoming more consistent; instead of a 3 on one hole then an 11 on the next, the scores on each hole are leveling out.
Happily I’ve not had any major challenges recently to see how well this is working for me there. I’m ok with that! I’ll keep practicing with the little irritations that pop up so that I’ll be prepared if something bigger comes along.