Let It Go

Have you ever noticed how resilient young children are? They can yell, throw things, storm out of the room – and five minutes later they return, acting as though nothing ever happened to upset them in the first place. Most kids are great at bouncing back after experiencing frustration.

I wish I could be more like that. Unfortunately, I’m prone to hoarding my negative emotions. I get upset, and sometime later am still walking around with a big black cloud over my head, sharing my mood, and the rain that accompanies it, with others.

Upon reflection, I’ve realized my problem is that I spend way too much time worrying about things I can’t control – like the behavior of others.  What I need to do is focus more on the things I can control – like my own behavior, attitude and perspective. Though I regularly suggest this strategy to others, I feel certain I could do a better job of practicing it myself.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the movie, Frozen, but I believe it’s an appropriate reference for this post. This week, when you find yourself frustrated by things you can’t control, my recommendation is to follow Idina Menzel’s advice from the theme song, and to the best of your ability, “let it go.”