Have you recently felt riddled with agitation? Or ever? If you have, you are not alone.
Let me tell you about a moment which, after intense agitation, changed everything: my perspective, my approach and my resolution. And it boiled down to a simple micro-moment. That moment where I chose to pause, to reflect, and pivot…
A few months ago, I had the gift of taking care of two precious, personality-filled pugs, Bear & Bella. In addition to their love, they offered invaluable lessons (click here for the first, fabulous edition :D ):
You know those mornings where you wake up and before you open your eyes, you are already agitated? At what, you have no idea! Perhaps it was a disturbing dream that you can’t even remember, but the urge is to go back to sleep and maybe, just maybe, shake the dream and shake the mood.
One particular morning, after a rough night of sleep, aware I had to deal with a sizable work issue, I groggily rolled over willing myself into a better mindset…
AND THEN… I smelled it.
This wasn’t the first day this had happened. It was the 5th(!!) day.
STRONG. Pungent. Poop. 😩
No matter how late I walked these precious pups - or how early I rose… 2 am on the living room floor was their newfound favorite time and place to relieve themselves.
Already agitated, you can imagine how this impacted my state of mind. I was DONE.
Done with the poo, done with the underlying agitation and issues.
As I knelt on the floor, scrubbing (and scrubbing… and scrubbing) the hardwood floor, I realized that my hands were mimicking my brain: attacking an issue, creating more distress and frustration.
So I stopped.
It was one of those micro-moments where I had a choice: further enmesh myself in my agitation and have that influence the rest of my day - which would be detrimental…
OR…
Pause, acknowledge the frustration without digging a deeper hole, and then pivot: look at how to best resolve the situation at hand and ask myself simple, yet critical situation-shifting questions.
Micro-moments are incredible opportunities that fill our days. And when we leverage them, we:
🧠 Reset and dramatically change the course of the hours and days that follow.
🧠 Turn around problematic situations with colleagues, clients and family members.
🧠 Create opportunities to ask a question (instead of jumping to conclusions), transforming our communication and relationships.
🧠 Reboot between engagements and meetings
🧠 Reroute problematic and debilitating inner dialogue
🧠 Ensure everyone feels heard and understood.
How do YOU leverage micro-moments?
It begins with awareness. It begins with mindfulness. And just like any muscle you build, it gets stronger with use.
Whether you set an alarm or use the “breathe” reminder on your phone, gift yourself regular moments to pause, reflect, and see if there is a simple or needed pivot.
I promise, you won’t regret it.
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