Lean In

I had a fight with my wife first thing this morning. I won’t get into the details; let’s just say it wasn’t a great way to start my day. To be fair, it wasn’t a great way to start the day for either of us. As an entrepreneur I find it pretty important to start my day with a positive attitude; knowing that I’m going to go out there and conquer the world – one problem at a time. Unfortunately, the rest of the world simply isn’t always on board with my need for peace and serenity in the morning. Whether it’s someone taking their ever-loving time in the fast lane; the coffee barista that obviously wants to be somewhere else; or a fight with someone close to me – sometimes it can seem like the world just won’t let me get off to a good start.

Angry and frustrated; I had a decision to make. I could decide that the day was a loss and move through it as quickly and painlessly as possible – with fast food as my guide – or I could figure out a way to move past my frustration. So, I opened my Evernote to read some affirmations that I’m supposed to read on the daily. They all started making me feel a bit better and then I read – and re-read – the following . . .

“I accept that life is difficult and that leaning into the struggle adds to my balance” – Unknown

I’m not exactly sure who the author of that little line is – whoever it is, thank you. It’s important to remember that it’s not what comes into our day that makes us who we are – rather, it’s how we respond to it. So, I gave myself the time to sit and reflect on what had happened. I realized that part of what happened may have nothing to do with me directly and the part that did can likely be resolved by listening and understanding her point-of-view. I also realized that the situation was important but did not define me or my day and that I could move forward with what I wanted to accomplish.

Taking time to reflect on a difficult situation was a great way to lean into the struggle and the result it provided truly added balance to my life. I now have the ability to create my own result for the day rather than giving that power to those around me. While taking time to think about a difficult situation is wise, its action that renders results.

I e-mailed her saying I wanted to hear her point-of-view; a few minutes later we had a conversation about what had happened. Since my wife and I work together in many of our business ventures it’s important on many levels for us to have open communication. We leaned into our struggle and worked out a great balance. So, I guess there are two lessons to be learned that have a great connection to each other – Lean into your struggles and always create an environment of open communication. It amazes me that one little sentence can help affect positive change so much.

Until next time, focus on what you know and keep doing a better job of what you love to do.

PS: Do you have a struggle or difficult situation that you had to lean into? I would love to hear your stories of struggles and the lessons you learned from them.   While this is a business blog – it’s truly amazing how much we can use our personal lessons to build better businesses. So, if you can make a connection from a personal story to a business lesson – even better.