Be the WOW, not the WHOA

My husband Dan was probably one of the most tolerant and empathetic people I have known in my life, except for one thing: he had little patience for people who feel sorry for themselves. It was his philosophy that no one is exempt from encountering challenging and painful occurrences in their life, so stop playing the victim!  I tend to agree with Dan.

Think about it…wouldn’t you rather be known as the WOW person, happily embracing life with gratitude rather than the WHOA person exclaiming almost in disbelief that anything difficult or challenging could occur in your life?  Herein lies a critical life approach that the resilient person possesses: the resilient person always chooses to focus on the WOW!

How does it work in real time?  Recently I had a vacation with multiple elements planned that included flying to various destinations and seeing an array of friends. My first destination was Seattle, Washington where my friends had planned really exciting adventures including flying to a private wine tasting and a Steve Miller Band concert. Unfortunately my flight to Seattle was canceled so I did not get to go.  Yes, I was disappointed and so were my friends as we had excitedly planned to be together for months.  Maybe under the circumstances surprisingly, I quickly shifted my thoughts from disappointment to destiny, embracing the idea that it was not the ” right” time for me to go and then when it is ” right” the trip to Seattle will happen. One thing I chose not to do was feel sorry for myself. I chose to focus on the WOW of the other elements of my trip not the WHOA, hold on here, why is this happening and why am I missing out on Seattle?

Each of us has the choice in every instance to be the person who decides to exclaim with joyful amazement when good things happen. Each of us also has the choice to not react with a WHOA hold on here, why is this happening to me response.  By releasing the false notion that your life is going to go according to some conventional plan you have been raised to expect, why not see the failures, disappointments and loses as opportunities to grow and open new chapters in your life. Be the WOW, not the WHOA. Be resilient my friends!

Linda Joy Walder