I have been on my paddleboard a lot lately. I absolutely love being on my board early in the morning before the rest of the lake wakes up.
And I really love flatwater.
As peaceful as I feel on the lake, I have to admit there is something that makes me a little (…okay, a lot) grouchy on my board.
I’ll be honest wit you: I turn into a real diva when boats have the nerve to disturb my flatwater. I don’t like when they get too close and make waves.
I think to myself, there is a whole wide lake. Why did you have to come and disturb my peace?
Talk about slipping out of zen and into judgement!
Only a few times have I ever been tipped over because of rough water from a passing boat. And never was it a big deal. Most of the time when I see a boat coming, I improvise by either turning my board to be in a position to take the waves, or get down on my knees to stabilize myself, or stand and truly ride it out.
But this week I had a revelation about my desire for flatwater.
We ALL want things (and expect things!) to go smoothly…
We usually want everyone in our path to make things easier for us….
Instead of digging deep and using our resources, we often get upset at others for disturbing our peace.
It is natural and human to have frustrations with others who rough up our waters.
However, what we do with those feelings are completely up to us.
Being resourceful, determined and grateful are more often the byproducts of rough waters than a path that is completely smooth.
I’m going to experiment with thanking each boat for coming my way and roughing up my waters and challenging me.
I’m going to try to see rough waters as an opportunity to challenge myself more, to test my skills, and, if necessary, cool off because I fell in.
How about you? What is your default when you find yourself in rough waters?
I’d love to help you use (or discover) your resources, strengths, and vision to help you find ways to thrive in your life when the going gets tough. It can be really helpful to have a trained coach bring compassion, curiosity, humor and a fresh perspective to the challenges we face. Set up a free discovery call to explore more.
With love,
Jenny
“When you meet obstacles with gratitude, your perception starts to shift, resistance loses its power, and grace finds a home within you.”
Oprah Winfrey
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