“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” –Allen Saunders

Even the best of intentions can go awry. As you well know, in life, things do not always go as planned. Sometimes it can feel as if everything is stacked against you and you can’t seem to catch a break, no matter how far you try to look on the bright side. How you handle the unplanned, the unforeseen and the “fallout” from what could have been will test you, challenge you, and perhaps even break you, if you allow it.

In the famous words of singer Kelly Clarkson, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I believe it, I really do, however, when you are in the midst of it, it may feel like it’s killing you. How do you handle things in life that don’t go as planned, like an injury, a missed opportunity, a broken relationship, or like everything and everyone are conspiring against you?

I talked about it a bit here in the video below.

Image: My daughter, Rio, with a fractured wrist…not quite the summer we had planned. The splint before the cast. So, what can you do when things don’t go as planned?

First, allow yourself to feel the pain, sorrow, hurt, misery, etc. — feel all of the feelings. Do not dismiss them, deny them, or hide them, because they will come back and they will come back multiplied and with an unimaginable force that will bury you and/or make you physically ill.

Then, move through it. Do not stay in the suffering, pity, victim space for too long. Acknowledge it, feel it and then move through it. Continue to ask yourself, “What is this here to teach me or what am I meant to learn from this?” Protect your emotional wellbeing like your life depends on it, because guess what? It absolutely does depend upon it.

Stay curious, remain open, and look on the bright side. I know, it sounds terribly cliche and it can be challenging, but you will come out of this stronger and better for it when you approach it from the lens of positivity. When you are in the thick of it, I know it can be tough to find the silver lining, so look for the little things that help you to reframe your mindset.

Lastly, choose gratitude. Again, I realize it is not the easiest choice when things are seemingly not going the way you planned, but the more you lean into gratitude, the better you will feel. Where can you focus your energy on what is good, what is working, and what you do have? Find those things…no matter how small or inconsequential they may appear and opt for gratitude.

In other things that don’t always go as planned…BIG NEWS…my book is launching in a few short weeks. YAY!!! As you may remember, I wrote a chapter in a book being released next month.  It’s called “It’s Not About the Food” and is all about weight loss, mindset, and finding the path to to sustained wellness. I’d love to give you a sneak preview and have you leave a review on Amazon. You can read just my chapter or as much as what catches your attention. If you are up for reading and committing to reviewing, then please let me know!

Life doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s an opportunity for it to be even better than you originally thought.

be well. love mel.