What Is This Trying To Teach Me?

For the most part, I think we are all floating around so preoccupied with our own little worlds, the inconveniences of life, checking boxes, and working on our daily to do lists, that we don’t pay enough attention around us.

Wake up, make coffee, work, laundry, go grocery shopping, walk the dog (if you have one), pick up kids (if you have them), make dinner, put kids to bed (if you have them), zone out in front of Netflix, pass out from exhaustion, rinse and repeat. 

I started looking at things from a vantage point of learning a couple of years ago. I now (try to) view my life with a perspective of everyone who comes into my life is either here to teach me something, or I’m here to teach them something or both. It has made life a lot more interesting. At times infuriating, because those lessons can come disguised as incredible frustration, anger, sadness, disappointment or a multitude of other pooptastic emotions. Like it or not, you may be the source of those heartbreaking lessons for others. I certainly know I have been. Those moments of disappointing or hurting others has taught me to have more empathy, less judgement, and more forgiveness.

 Alternatively, these lessons can come dressed up as strangers who share their strength, wisdom, perspective, positivity and result in making you a better, more grounded person who will possibly help you go on to help others when they’re in need. I prefer these types of lessons more, but sometimes we can’t avoid going through the crap, but we can control HOW we go through the crap. 

My challenge to you today is to pay attention to the folks you have encountered lately. The people who have pissed you off, the people who have cheered you on, the customers who have brought you to your knees in frustration. Rather than let the emotions control you, control the emotions and step back and ask yourself, “What is this trying to teach me?”