Do you long for the job, the partner, the house, the whatever that’s “just right”?
The other night when I was reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears to my grandson, I realized how early the notion of “just right” pops into our minds. Papa Bear’s chair was TOO hard, Mama Bear’s chair was TOO soft, but Baby Bear’s chair was JUST RIGHT.
In real life the notion of “just right” is more complex than Little Bear’s bowl of porridge. But we tend to cling to our preconceived, often overly simplified notions of perfection and how the world is supposed to look.
And it could be holding us back.
We write up lists defining what our perfect partner should look like, we spend hours engaging in elaborate daydreams about our perfect house, and we tell ourselves we will only switch careers if the perfect job shows up.
We can get so caught up in what “just right” is supposed to look like, we sometimes miss the boat on the other fantastic opportunities life is trying to offer us.
There’s an old joke about a man who was trapped in his house by flood waters. Rescuers arrive in a motor boat, but he waves them away. “The Lord will save me,”he tells them.
The waters continued to rise, and the next day a canoe arrives. They beg the man to come with them and explain that he is in real danger.
Again he waves them away, saying the Lord will save him.
As the flood rages on, the water rises so high the man has to stand on the roof of his house. A helicopter circles above, shouting at him to grab the rope. Again he waves them away saying, “The Lord will save me.”
The man dies and when he gets to heaven, the Lord says, “Why are you here? It’s not your time.”
The man is taken aback. “But Lord, I waited for you to save me, and your never came”.
The Lord says, “I sent a boat, a canoe and a helicopter!”
Just like the man in the flood, we sometimes fail to recognize when the answer, the solution at hand, is what we’ve been looking for all along. We wait for the “just right” we’ve dreamed of all our lives and miss the opportunities that are right in front of us.
Think of one of your “just rights”, something you’ve been daydreaming about for a long time, whether it’s a perfect partner, place to live, family of origin, a career or new opportunity.
What would happen if you threw out your (old, outdated) idea of perfection?
When you throw that out, what is standing right in front of you?
What do you love about what you have right now?
Often our “just rights” arrive when we:
- Learn to love the present moment.
- Start to appreciate what we have right now.
- Allow ourselves to let go of preconceived notions or assumptions.
That doesn’t mean letting go of your dreams, but it could mean taking the helicopter’s rescue rope when the flood waters are rising.
There are tons of routes, roads and highways leading to the results you want.
There’s never only one way.
And right now, the answer may be staring you in the face.
Let me know what you discover!
Until next Tuesday. YIPPEE!
Elizabeth
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