Face The WAVES!

Earlier this week I was able to take some time away from work and spend it with my family.? PTO is an acronym that is often associated with Paid Time Off, however it is really a message from your employer to Please Take Off.? This week we were able to spend time on the beach with the sun, the sand, and the WAVES.? Thankfully, we were not impacted by the hurricane, however we did have some increase in WAVES and stronger undercurrent.? Prayers to all those impacted by the hurricane.? If you have ever been to the beach, and sat in your chair towards the water, you can focus on the horizon, however you are drawn to the sound and the power in the continuous WAVES.? We can learn from the WAVES, so let’s sea…

Warning?????????????????????????

Warning!? WAVES come and go, and there is nothing you can do about them.? The WAVES are just like future struggles and challenges. There can be (and will be) some time between them, however just because one is not upon you, does not necessarily mean that one is not coming.? I am not trying to be pessimistic, just a realist.? WAVES typically only impact you if you are in the water.? You can stand on the shore and watch, however when you are in the water, you will be faced with how you respond or how you approach the WAVES.? What WAVES are you facing right now?? How are they impacting you?? Are you standing on the shore or are you in the water??

Accept?????????????????????????????

Accept they are coming. If you say there are not WAVES, that does not make them go away.? Sometimes we like to say things that are not true to help us deal with the challenge(s) we are facing.? The first step is accepting the fact that they are real, and they are coming.? Are you in denial about anything right now? ?Denial regarding something you are facing.? Do you think you are on the shore, and it won’t impact you, but your feet are in the water and the tide is rising?? What is keeping you from accepting that your challenge is real?? Once you accept it, you can focus on recognizing where your feet are at and how they are potentially going to impact you.? Accept it, face it, and solve it!

Vary??????????????????????????????????

WAVES vary. The more time you spend watching the WAVES, you realize that no two WAVES are the same.? Some hit harder and some come in softly. Some have higher peaks and curls, and some seem big in the distance, however when they get to the shore, they break softly against the sand.? Some sound scary (we all have things we are facing that seem scary), but if we accept the fact that the challenge is real, it shows us how we can face them and solve them.? What are you focusing on right now?? Are you looking at all the WAVES, or focusing on just one?? What are the WAVES you are hearing and seeing right now?? What can you do to prepare for them?? How are you going to brace yourself for their impact?? ??

Experience????????????????????

Experience is gained by facing the WAVES.? If you stand with your back to the WAVES, you can’t really focus on how they impact you, or how they change.? Sure, they may sound fierce, and they may seem like they are growing in size, but if you don’t face them and acknowledge them, you lose the ability to face them and gain experience on how you can grow personally.? Funny thing is, even if you stand in the same place, the stability of your feet shifts as the current ebbs and flows.? You must reposition your stance, even if you are standing in the same place. If you don’t, the current and WAVES may knock you over.? The more you face the WAVES, the better you get at addressing how you are going to face them and minimize their impact on you.? Aare you facing the WAVES or do you have your back turned towards them?? What are you afraid of?? What have you done in the past that can help you face them again??

Stand????????????????????????????????

Stand up. Face the WAVES.? There are times when we feel like we are being overtaken by the current situation (see what I did there with current??..lol) and we feel like we are drowning.? I am not saying this feeling is real or not, however we might have lost sight of how deep the water really is because we hear the roar of the WAVES and the tide and forgot that all we need to do is stand up.? What are you facing?? Are you really as deep as you think you are? ?Are you afraid to try to stand, and it is knocking you down and keeping ?you closer to the WAVES?? Dig down deep and stand up!? You can do it!? It starts with the decision to stand, so make the decision.? Set your feet firmly in the sand and push with all your might.? You might be surprised how deep you really are, and how easy it is to move from where you are at. Stand up!

We all learn and we all grow when we face the current.? We get stronger and we are able to understand more about ourselves and about the situation(s) we are facing.? Staring at the WAVES on? beach can seem overwhelming.? I am not diminishing anything you are facing, nor am I saying that the tide is or isn’t rising around you, but you can determine how you face the WAVES.? Warning, WAVES come and go, and you have to accept that they are coming. There is nothing you can do to stop them.? Sure, they vary in size, strength, and impact, but all WAVES are not created equal.? Learn from your past experiences on how to address each one, and stand up and face the WAVES when they feel like they are overtaking you and where you are at. You never know, they may change you and help you find the strength to tame the WAVES.? Life comes in WAVES too, but how you respond gives you courage to step off the shore.

W – Warning, WAVES come and go.

A – Accept that they are coming.

V – Vary in size

E – Experience is gained facing the waves.

S – Stand up!

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Stay safe and stay well!