Ever wonder why some people just seem to go with the flow so easily? Or why others seem to have it “together” better than the rest of us? I certainly do. Actually, I marvel at those individuals’ ability to seemingly float through so much chaos and disorganization, bringing order and peace to all types of circumstances and ordeals. First, let’s take a step back and remember that no one escapes life’s problems. Not one of us. In fact, one of the only guarantees in life is that we will all face hard times and a few crises, at the very least. How is it, then, that some people navigate those times with better responses and outcomes? I believe that this phenomenon comes from within. You see, life isn’t just about putting everything in its proper place and making sure we take all the right steps to avoid conflict; it’s also about learning to organize our inner self, taking intentional steps towards the training of our mind and emotions to grow in resilience, strength and courage for whatever challenges we face. Because, believe me, we will.

How do we organize from within? I’m not sure about you, but I’ve had many moments of brief (or less than brief) paralysis, where I simply don’t what foot to put forward first. Whether it’s an existential crisis or an unexpected friend/family issue, having our minds and thoughts renewed and ready to face what is in front of us, often makes our reactions beneficial to the issue at hand, as opposed to chaotic, lost, or destructive in nature. Learning to take time daily, before any crisis has arisen, to focus on how we think, what we think, and what we let ourselves manifest, can bring forth life, peace, and order when we open our mouths or step forward towards an ordeal. Sometimes this may mean putting aside thoughts that hound us. I actually envision a nicely sealed box that I open up and put my thoughts in for a later time. As ridiculous as this may seem, breaking certain cycles or thought patterns that we all have, is a great start to allowing new patterns and thought cycles in. I once heard someone say that it is easier to change our thinking through our actions than it is to change our actions through mere thinking. Therefore, DO the task of actively letting things go mentally or DO something else when you find yourself sinking into a negative thought/action pattern. This may mean taking a quick walk instead of picking up your phone, or it may mean picking up your phone and calling someone instead of mulling over a previous text or conversation.

There are countless ways in which we all must learn to organize from within. And from this, what we begin to do and say flows naturally as a result, instead of a more typical case where we might muster up strength and courage (or sit in paralysis), trying to figure out what to do next. Beginning with a few minutes a day, organize your strengths and weaknesses, put them in mental boxes if necessary, and pick out what you need from those boxes daily, possibly even throwing some of its contents in the trash. A life well organized is available for each one us, regardless of our age, our past, our circumstances, or our current stage of life. Who knows? You might even see better organization in your outside world at some point…then again, let’s start small.

Anna Lewis / July 10, 2019