I proudly watched my three year old niece, Alina, perform in her first ballet recital. She did a good job executing the steps, although at times she scampered around as if in search of something. Later, her mother explained what caused the confusion. Apparently Alina was looking for her “X.” The teacher assigned each child a color coded X as a home base. The dancers were to return to the assigned X at designated points in the performance.
Understanding the dilemma, I could relate. It is not always easy to find your place, whether it be in the school auditorium or the world’s stage. Without a plan to guide you, life can be baffling. At times we spin our wheels trying to find the right path. In other instances, we remain happy in a comfortable situation until unexpectedly life throws you a curve ball and shifts. Suddenly we are no longer in that perfect place.
In baseball, a curve ball is a pitch thrown with a characteristic grip causing the ball to dive downward just as it reaches the plate. This pitch often finds the batter swinging at air.
Sound familiar? Do you ever feel like that prized pitch just passes you by and you go down swinging? It happens. Adversity strikes and when it does, how should we regroup? Here are some strategies. Begin by:
- Accept that life is full of surprises. Change is imminent. No matter how diligent and proactive we are, eventually life throws us a dreaded curve ball making it necessary to change course.
- Know that your comfort zone will continually be challenged. At times you’ll get knocked off balance or maybe find some other kid standing on your X. Acknowledge the change. It happened. You cannot un-pitch a ball.
- Spend some analyzing how the occurrence will impact your life. It’s time to take a breath rethink and regroup.
- Become a list maker. It helps to problem solve on paper. Take a step back and view the situation from a broad perspective. Let your creative juices flow and capture your ideas in writing.
- Next, put down your pen or save the document on your computer and take a break. Go for a walk, hit the gym or head out to your favorite coffee shop.
- Once you have cleared your head with another activity, return to your list. Analyze your ideas and rank them accordingly. Which strategies seem the most viable?
- Time to call for support. Invite a mentor, coach or trusted friend to review your work. It is possible your confidant will see an angle you missed and offer up a solution that did not occur to you.
- Decide on a strategy and create an action plan by breaking down tasks into bite size pieces. You might be setting off in a direction that seems completely foreign to you. Relax, often making a left turn is the right thing to do.
- Practice resilience. We are wired with built in survival mechanisms. It may take some deep down digging, but in tenuous situations find the sweet spot that propels you in a new direction.
- Remain optimistic. There is always something positive to be gained.
- Lastly, have a little faith. Believe in yourself. When your X becomes hidden, gets usurped or is obliterated by the curve ball, do not give up.
Our tiny ballerina Alina stayed the course until she found her home base. Although lost for a moment, she recovered. And so can you.