You Can Make It Work

Sometimes, things happen that don't exactly align with how we'd like.Sometimes life isn't all sunshines, rainbows, and unicorns.Sometimes we're dealt the worst hand, and have to find some way to not lose it all.There are things that come up that, through no fault of our own, involve circumstances that are beyond our control. We have to deal with whatever it is, and accept it.  The beautiful thing, though, is that in every situation there will be one thing that will always be in our control:  How we deal with it, and what we do about it.Some years back, I decided to see a therapist to help overcome anxiety issues that I'd been dealing with for some time. He helped me learn about what some of my triggers were, and ways to use logic to reason with myself and to help me deal with a situation that would otherwise leave me in an anxious mess. I've developed a strong sense of self-awareness from this experience, and I've found the words of the Serenity Prayer to be an affirmation of this. I've learned to accept that which I can't change, and focus on what I can change, and have learned to seek the difference between the two.There will be things in this life that we can not change. We can always change how we handle these situations, and where we focus in those times we need to cope. I'll always be eternally grateful to my mother because she turned the idea of finding a silver lining in any situation into an art form. No matter what would happen, she'd always be the first to find something positive about it and turn the focus to that, away from whatever was bad.I've decided to make that a part of how I deal with bad situations when they come up. While it may be easier to focus on the problem, and dwell on the situation, I've found that it just won't get you anywhere. It's better to focus on the solution, and figure out either how to get out of the situation, or make the best of it until a better situation or resolution comes along. I've found that this mentality has helped me cope with many of those moments where life has thrown me a lemon or two. Rather than feel the pain of each lemon hitting me, I'm kicking back and enjoying a tall glass of ice cold lemonade.