"Just keep swimming."
- Dory from Finding Nemo
"Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one."
- Mother Willow from Pocahontas
"The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all."
- The Emperor of China from Mulan
"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
-Eleanor Roosevelt (and Joe from The Princess Diaries)
"You learn to take life as it comes at you, to make each day count."
- Jack Dawson from Titanic
As everyone knows, life is far from perfect, and things don't always go as planned. It's important to remember that when life throws you that unexpected curveball, the best thing you can do is pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move forward with your head held high. That lesson is expressed through the five quotes listed above.
For example, those unexpected curveballs could be something minor, like forgetting something at the grocery store that you needed for dinner, or something big, like losing your job. Whatever the obstacle may be, it is essential to avoid getting overwhelmed. When you become overwhelmed by a situation, your judgment becomes clouded, and you don't always make wise decisions. The best approach is to take small steps to fix a problem rather than diving in head first. If you forget something at the grocery store, get creative with what you have at home rather than waste gas by driving back to the grocery store. If you lose your job, start by making attainable goals for yourself about how many jobs to apply for each day or week in your field rather than meaninglessly applying for every job you see and ending up with a new job that makes you miserable.
Now, I know all of this is easier said than done. So I'm going to share with you how I recently overcame a sudden small change in plans. This week, I had Thursday night (Friday morning) off from work, so I planned on doing the dishes, doing laundry, cooking dinner, and going to the gym. I got the dishes cleaned and the laundry washed and folded, but then my night took a turn. I started cooking my dinner in the air fryer when I opened my fridge and saw something no one wanted to see. There was a small hole in a package that contained raw chicken, and the juice was everywhere. So for the next hour, I cleaned the fridge and bleached every surface and even had to throw away some food. After that situation was handled, I sat down and ate my dinner. Then, when I went to wash my dishes, I stepped into a small puddle of water. I thought it was water from when I cleaned the dishes earlier, but something told me to look under the sink. When I did, I found another small puddle of water directly under the pipes. I then had to take everything out from under the sink, soak up the water, and place a bowl under the leaking pipe. Luckily, it was just a slow leak that could wait to be fixed at the beginning of the upcoming week. Unfortunately, when that problem was handled, it was already 6:30 am, and I had to be in bed early because I was going to work at 6:00 pm. So I was unable to go to the gym.
When unexpected things happen and throw off your routine, sometimes it can feel like the world is ending. I promise you it is not. Those little disruptions remind us that we are human and that nothing and no one is perfect. It's how we handle those situations that matter. Again, remember that little fixes can go a long way. Trying to fix everything all at once will only cause more harm. So take those quotes above to heart as a reminder that things will get better and to keep pressing on. But if quotes aren't your thing, might I suggest listening to upbeat and uplifting music? My personal favorites are "Up" by Shania Twain, "That's The Way" by Jo Dee Messina, "AOK" by Tai Verdes, and "Hold On" by Wilson Phillips.
Quotes via Young Post/Buzzfeed
This is a great message. Sometimes it‘s the little things in life that throw you off. Nice piece!