Have you ever seen one of those South West commercials where someone found themselves in an embarrassing situation?

There was one where two detectives were investigating a crime scene. They both had suspicions of what they thought forensics would uncover once they arrived. The detectives were making a conservative effort to leave the crime scene undisturbed so none of evidence would be altered. The forensic scientist was running late, so he comes in on a helicopter, and as the helicopter lands it is shuffling the entire landscape. He gets out to see the two detectives looking at him like he just ruined everything. It doesn’t take long for him to realize that is exactly what happened. With a look of embarrassment on face, the narrator comes on and says, “Wanna get away”.

Instead of sinking or shrinking in your moment of discomfort, what if you found a way to flourish and rise?

We are all going to have less-than-stellar moments in our lives, but that does not mean we have to be embarrassed about it.

If you want to quickly overcome an uncomfortable situation, here are four strategies to implement.

1. Focus On What Matters. Where you place your attention is what you are going to be focused on. Instead of replaying the failures in your mind, feeling overwhelmed or anxious about something, stay in the moment and make the next best decision possible. You cannot change the past (even if it just happened), so just keep focused on the outcome you are trying to achieve.

2. Cut Yourself Some Lack. When you find yourself uncomfortable, understand it is probably tied to the gap between your expectations of yourself and your performance. If you give yourself some room to mess up, then there is nothing to be worried about, right? Stop trying to live up to some unrealistic expectation of yourself and allow yourself (and others) to be human.

3. Revisit The Discomfort Later. Take a day to distance yourself from the event. During this time, don’t think about it and don’t discuss it with anyone. After a couple days, revisit the situation and see how you feel. In the moment, you probably thought it was the worst thing to ever happen to you. Taking time will help you regain your perspective and you will realize it wasn’t that big of a deal. As you continue doing this, you will be able to remember it in the moment next time and remain calm.

4. Ignore the Haters. Discomfort and embarrassment are different aspects of fear. Instead of allowing yourself to be afraid of the way others perceive you, ignore them. You will find the opinions of the people you thought mattered, do not matter at all. They have as much of an impact on your life as you allow them.

You have probably noticed that embarrassment, low self-esteem, etc. is a mindset, which means it is a choice. There is not a requirement for you to feel embarrassed by something that does not go as well as you had hoped. By recognizing the choices you have in most situations, you will be better equipped to keep your resolution or change-goal.

You cannot create the change you want in your life if you do not have the courage to finish the journey. Can things be uncomfortable in the beginning, sure. Will something unexpected happen along the way, you bet.

But I would rather face discomfort today when I can do something about it, then face it later because I played it safe – and I have no time to change anything.

Continued blessings,

Undre Griggs |Forecast Hope | Be More