Putting it all in Perspective
Get the mp3/podcast of this episode free on iTunes.
Here’s the full transcript:
.
I love thinking of moments in my life where something happened that influenced me to the point of changing my MINDSET and my PATH and my FUTURE.
.
A couple years ago…it was actually the week I was getting married….
.
I’m a very detail oriented person/ perfectionist/ control freak. I didn’t have a wedding planner. I was doing it all myself. Saying I was overwhelmed IS SLIGHTLY an understatement.
.
I wanted to make sure I had crossed all my “T’s” and dotted all my “I’s” and that everything was perfect. Besides the fact that I was also planning our honeymoon and the overachiever in me had decided that we should take a European tour to France, Italy AND Spain.
.
So I had ALL of these things rolling through my brain and trying to keep them all straight and make sure everything was perfect.
.
It was also my wedding and I WANTED it to be perfect.
.
Next thing you know, we were also moving into our new house and in the backyard, there was a tree that was leaning. It just wasn’t a perfectly upright tree. Of course, since it’s the week of my wedding, there’s GOT to be a hurricane coming. And my neighbor mentioned that she would like for me to cut down the tree.
.
“Perfect. It’s on my to-do list. As soon as we get back, I’ll figure out if I need to cut down this tree or have someone come to take a look at it.”
.
Well, literally, 2 days before my wedding, I got a registered letter in the mail from my neighbor’s lawyer pretty much threatening me that I had to cut down the tree within 24 hours or I WAS GOING TO BE SUED. That was NOT what I wanted to hear the day before my wedding when I had all of the family coming in and all of these details still yet to be finished.
So I literally lost myself.
I panicked.
I was in a whirlwind.
I was upset.
I was crying.
.
I didn’t know how I could find this person or PAY to have the tree cut down. It was something like $800.
.
I didn’t have an extra $800 right then.
.
I went to work that night and I was telling one of my coworkers…I was obviously upset…visibly upset…and just didn’t know what to do and I just felt like this was the worst timing…as if my world was ending.
.
And he looked at me and he said a few words that I have remembered FOREVER and that have literally come into play so many times since (which is why I wanted to share them with you today).
.
He looked at me and he said:
.
In 5 years from now, is this going to matter?
.
I was just like…….
.
ACTUALLY…
When he said that, I GOT MAD!
Because I’m like, WHO CARES ABOUT 5 YEARS FROM NOW? Like this is devastating my life RIGHT NOW and I don’t know what to do and I would rather you just give me $800 than ask me if this is going to matter in 5 years!
.
But once I got outside of that situation and was able to look back, I wasn’t angry anymore and I realized how insightful and how wise those words were.
.
How many times when we’re in the middle of a situation that seems so big and seems so overwhelming and stressful, what if we looked at it in the SAME way?
.
Does this REALLY matter in the big picture of life?
Should this be ROCKING our world and throwing us off course and sending us into this whirlwind of stress and anxiety?
.
9 times out of 10, NO!
.
So now, when I am facing a situation that my first, natural inclination IS to freak out, I think…
DOES THIS REALLY MATTER?
WILL this matter 5 years from now?
Is this worth LOSING it over?
.
So, I want you to apply it to your life and think…
.
We honestly have so much more strength and power and endurance than we realize and if we can just change our FIRST reaction, our gut feeling, our initial outburst into something that is a little more thought thru and a little more calculated and collected, I believe it will impact many areas of our lives.
.
In hindsight, I am happy that the tree tilted and I ended up learning this lesson early on and overcoming those initial freak outs. Because they don’t do anything beneficial anyways. So, honestly, even if it DID still matter 5 years from now, the freak out doesn’t change that either.
.
So whenever you are facing a situation, just keep in mind, that your reaction matters to those around you, to yourself, to your own stress and anxiety levels. And the more you can put things in perspective, the more even-keeled you’ll be, and the more friends you’ll have (haha) and the more life you’ll be able to live and to enjoy.
.
A lot of times people might tell us things in the moment that could irritate us, but in hindsight, they really mean it to help us. And this was one of those times.
.
So now that you’ve heard that phrase, “Will it matter 5 years from now?” I challenge you to bring it to mind the next time you have something that seems overwhelming, because you CAN make it through. You can. You WILL BE OKAY. And like they say, when you are going thru something, JUST keep going. JUST KEEP GOING. Don’t stop. I know you can do it.
.
Hopefully you enjoyed today’s show. If you want any tips or any help on getting fit from the inside out, I specialize in helping people get results fast from home. Shoot me a message at jessica@jessicabowsernelson.com and I will message you back personally and get you set up on your path to the best you!
.
