Making Sense Of When Things Don’t Go Your Way

Here I am this beautiful sunny morning in the midst of a home renovation gone awry, a beloved sick kitty struggling to survive and a few other items nagging away at my brain.

For a bit, I do what is only human….wonder why things are not going my way. And then, as I knock some of my own teachings back into myself (funny how the so-called experts sometimes forget what they preach, even if for a little while….), I remember a famous quote that brings me back into the flow of surrender and acceptance. Charles Darwin once said: “It is the not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” 

Adapting to change is essential if you want to move beyond where you are, no matter what that challenge is. It could be a family or relationship situation, a roadblock at work or career, or a health crisis. Understanding the problem and what is truly at the heart of the matter is the first step in progressing forward and shifting out of a mode of thinking that this “thing” is happening to you, rather than accepting that this “thing” is showing up for a reason. Maybe, just maybe, what you want, or the way you want things to go, is just not in the universal design. Maybe you did not get that promotion because it would not have given you the inward growth you need to become even grander that you already are. Maybe, just maybe, your series of relationships is trying to make you aware of a certain pattern within yourself that needs to be released so that you can move on to a long-term loving relationship. And just maybe, things are not going your way because you are a catalyst for someone else’s journey. 

Getting in touch with your feelings around the situation and what is really going on inside of you, often uncovers other layers to the dilemma you are facing.  When we want to control the events around us, it is often because we are afraid of other possibilities that might come our way. Am I really ready to commit to that long-term relationship? Am I ready for that major leadership promotion? If I heal and recover, what then? Analyzing what is beyond the surface can help you move to a deeper understanding and shift forward to higher ground.

Realizing that you have overcome other difficulties and that you have the strength and capacity to do that again is very important. It helps you focus on the fact that  you have a reservoir of wisdom and experience built right inside, and that you can and will get through it  again. When was the last time you faced a similar challenge? How did you handle it then? What lessons can you apply from past experiences to this one? Just because things are not going your way, does not mean that they are going the wrong way. They are going in a way that asks you to exercise the wisest and best parts of yourself, so that you can keep evolving and adding even more best parts to your soul.

“In the middle of every difficulties, lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

Eve Crawford – Life Strategist

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