Is today one of those days when you feel like you could take on the world? Or…not so much?
Our moods and energies can affect our results. When you’re feeling positive and energetic, have you seen that people treat you better? Do you have better success? Do other people seem happier too? Even if something unpleasant happens, are you better able to handle it?
Whether we feel on top of the world or down in the dumps can seem a mystery. Choice Theory does offer suggestions to gain more effective control over our feelings, but for this column, I’ll look at one way to take advantage of those moments when we are at the top of our game.
For years, after a dispute in the family, Harry has avoided calling his old friend Sam. The dispute didn’t even directly involve Harry and Sam, but everything had become awkward. It was easier to just avoid the issue and to avoid each other.
But Harry liked Sam and in the back of his mind, he wanted to contact him. He wasn’t sure what to say though, and he didn’t know how Sam would react. So he kept putting it off. Wait for another day.
After a particularly fun-filled day of sports and food and friends and family, Harry was feeling so good that he decided to make the call. Turns out, it wasn’t awkward at all! Conversation flowed, helped along by Harry’s good spirits.
Harry made a wise choice to use the good energy of his positive day. How might we take advantage of our good moments, rather than letting them slip away?
Like me, you probably have some tasks that you need to do but you’d really rather not. Maybe they require energy, like the energy you need to tackle out-of-control paperwork. Or maybe they demand courage, like the courage you need to ask a favour or to deliver news that someone doesn’t want to hear.
There are many things that we have to do. We have many reasons why we don’t want to do them. Experience shows us that we are better able to do those unpleasant, unavoidable tasks when we’re feeling good and invigorated.
Here’s a suggestion to take advantage of our energetic, positive times: Make a list.
List those unappealing things that you need or want to eventually do. Get the big tasks down; the ones that keep popping up in your mind, that annoy and bury you in guilt for having avoided them.
Even if you have no immediate intention of doing them, write them down. The list may be long. No need to work too hard to make it thorough; trust me, you’ll think of more later.
You could call it your Tackle List. You could even put it in a box and call it your Tackle Box if that would amuse you.
The next time that you feel like you could master the world, bring out your Tackle List. Pick one item. Just one. Pick it right now while you’re feeling good, and do it.
If we want good outcomes, it helps to pay attention. It’s not a great idea to tackle a difficult relationship problem when we’re already tired and cranky after a frustrating day. That doesn’t mean that there will never be a right time. Different times work better for different tasks.
When we’re having a good moment, it helps to know how to seize it. Do you think a list would help? Is it worth a try?
Greetings!
Welcome to Reality Check:
articles and observations inspired by the work of Dr. William GlasserCategories