Words of Wisdom
by Julie Weinstein
As we go through life, we might have plans in mind of how we want things to look. And plans certainly aren’t a bad thing. In fact, it’s great to have plans and goals and items we’d like to accomplish, big and small. Plans can help us stay organized and on track, and they give us something to look forward to.
But life is a funny thing, isn’t it? Things don’t always go as planned. Life throws curve balls. And those curveballs can be seemingly devastating. Especially for type A planners like some of us, these curveballs can seem almost earth-shattering.
What happens if our initial plan (Option A) doesn’t work out?
I’m not going to sugarcoat it… It sucks when things don’t work out as you planned and hoped. It truly sucks, for lack of a better word.
But after the initial sadness and disappointment, it’s so important to move onto Option B and grab hold of Option B and make it the best it can possibly be!
Of course, take your time to feel the emotions that come with your initial plan not working out. It’s vital to your well being to feel the emotions and work through them.
But once you’ve taken that necessary time, it’s time to embrace option b in all its glory. Treat it how you would have treated option a.
And I’m certainly not saying this is easy. But what’s the alternative?
If your first plan is simply not possible anymore, and you have no control over that, you can either spend your days wishing it was possible or you can live your life to its fullest potential, and make the new plan the best it can possibly be by embracing it fully and whole heartedly.
And there might be hard days. But then there will also be incredible days and moments. Life is full of highs and lows, and it’s important to remind yourself to cherish the highs and breathe through the lows.
In the end, life works out just as it should. In fact, sometimes life works itself out in ways better than we could have imagined.
So, the next time life presents you with an Option B scenario, kick the shit out of it.
You got this. I promise. We’re in this together, my friends.
Sheryl Sandberg
Most, if not all, of you are familiar with Sheryl Sandberg, as well as this quote of hers. As the COO of Facebook and the author of Lean In, a book that empowers women to live their life to their fullest potential, Sandberg has also experienced one of the absolute worst things one can experience, which was the sudden death of her husband.
Following the death, Sandberg, with the helpful advice of a dear friend and a conversation with another friend, she chose to embrace her option B and make the most of her life. It certainly didn’t and doesn’t take away the sadness from her loss, but her outlook and optimism and resilience are truly powerful and inspiring.
We urge you to check out this article here, this video, Sandberg’s TED Talk here, and Oprah’s SuperSoul conversation with her here. All incredibly inspiring.
And, of course, be sure to check out her book, Option B.
One more thing
Don’t forget – you can download a free printable of this quote here.
Have a great day!
