Every day people are faced with situations that are completely out of their control, things they can not change, and obstacles that promise defeat. 

A traffic jam when you’re already late, rain on your wedding day, a parts delivery that’s not showing up on the delivery date, and a customer that refuses to pay. 

It is all too easy to get sucked into the deep dark hole of self berating “why me/poor me” thoughts. Condemning the system, criticizing the process, complaining about what is today’s truth.

Worrying about things that you can not change is by far the biggest waste of your time. 

It’s been a heck of a start to 2024. Flu that ravaged our house, a knee injury, a parent who faced, and thankfully, is recovering from a string of serious health issues, a system change, and on top of all that spring is playing peek a boo. 

None of this was in my control. Nothing, short of potentially being more graceful and mastering stairs, could have prevented Q1’s series of unfortunate events. 

The flu is gone, I slept and hydrated. The knee is healing, I braced and iced. Mom is heading in the right direction, following doctor's orders and waiting for the day that this moment in time is nothing but a memory. The flurries keep falling and the temperature keeps dropping, but spring will surface eventually.

We can’t cure the ailments, but we can treat the symptoms.

What do you do when faced with a period of time that seems to be dead set on causing your demise? When the world just keeps filling your overflowing bucket? When every step you take forward, takes you two steps backwards? 

Let It Out: The frustration builds, your blood boils, you feel like at any moment you are going to explode. Lack of control over a situation leads to feeling powerless, which inturn leads to anger, sadness, or a complete sense of madness. Let it out. Scream. Cry. Punch a pillow. And then get up, wipe the tears, and accept what is your reality. Once the fog of dismay clears, it will be easier to visualize the path forward. 

Create Answers, not Angst: Complaining, wallowing in misery, and trash talking (for more than your allotted moment), is a one way trip to misery central or the unemployment line. Come with potential solutions, or ideas to make the burn a bit more manageable. You can’t undo what has already been done, you can’t rewind or take a time machine back to when everything was hunky dory. You can however work with what's in front of you. Invest the time to navigate a new way of doing things. Adopt a new process, even if it is just temporary. In the event this hurdle affects others, be honest, upfront, and proactive to ensure customers or coworkers feel as little pain as possible.  

Accept the Challenge: What will be will be. This too shall pass. Time heals all wounds. I could keep spouting well known idioms, but the truth is they just make me sound full of crap. You can’t change it, so deal with it. Treat the symptoms and learn to live with the new reality. In a matter of time, this too shall be just a memory, or a nightmare. The truth is in the eye of the beholder. 

Typically, short of a freak accident caused by a lightning strike on a perfectly sunny day, you are not alone in getting past a particular obstacle. Everyone on that freeway was stuck in the same traffic jam. Each customer waiting for that set of parts is delayed. All your co-workers are learning new ways of getting the job done. 

As part of a team, both personally and professionally, the struggle to overcome complications does not fall on the shoulders of one individual. 

Misery loves company, so gather your friends, peers, and even foes and show this uncontrollable situation who’s boss!