All SBLs can relate to the constant worry of what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. But what happens when we stop worrying? In this article, Education Executive’s Laura Williams explains why it’s important to channel your inner Elsa and actually let it go…
Last January, John and I went on a cruise to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. We’d booked it a year before that and with the craziness of moving house, almost completely forgot about it. We’d never been on a cruise before so the whole thing was new, exciting and a tad daunting!
One of our stops was the Dominican Republic and to change things up from cocktails on the beach, we booked an excursion that was a little bit more adventurous – off-road buggying across the island. Whilst I wouldn’t say this is my comfort zone, I do like driving fast so I figured it could be fun.
When we arrived at our meeting point, we were given a crash helmet, a bandanna to cover our face (so we wouldn’t swallow any mud) and were allocated an open-wheeled, open sided vehicle with a big engine. We were told we would tour the local area, cut across the fields, take a dip in the ocean and then then take an even wilder route back to the ship to really enjoy the experience.
I hadn’t thought it through…
The entire route was dirt tracks and they’d had some rain recently so every pothole (of which there were many!) was filled with a lovely pile of slop. I tightened my bandanna, fastened my seat belt and braced for the worst.
On the way there, we and a lot of the group spent time trying to avoid the big puddles and holes in the road, even though our feet still ended up sloshing around in a tidal wave in the footwell.
We eventually reached the beach relatively unscathed – just a few splodges of mud here and there – but when I was stood in the stunning ocean, I couldn’t help but be filled with trepidation for the journey back which we were told was going to be much messier!
A muddy realisation
Then, as I strapped my crash helmet on for the second time, I realised something…The mud, the mess, the freedom to splash through those big puddles – that was the whole point of the excursion. So what if I got muddy? So what if I looked a state? So what if all our stuff got soaked?
Maybe I should stop worrying and just enjoy what I was there to do – after all, it wasn’t likely I’d be doing it again soon! Our journey back was foot to the floor – I was black with mud, I laughed so hard that I cried and when I walked back on the ship looking like an absolute mess, I didn’t even blink an eye.
A liberating experience
Sometimes, letting go of your worries, your expectations, your ‘what ifs’ – can be the most liberating experience you’ll have. I try and remember that feeling whenever I get myself wound so tight that I can no longer think straight. The freedom of just letting go.
Try and embrace this feeling for yourself. Think of a time when you truly let go, felt carefree and light. Yes, it’s a new term and everything around you is probably already chaos, carnage and mayhem…
But rather than try to fix it all or panic about it, don’t hold back – throw yourself into it, trust that it will all work out ok and trust that you will know exactly what to do. Trust your super SBL skills and dive right into that chaos.
Sure, you might get a bit ‘muddy’ – some things are inevitable after all, but remember, you’re a superhero and there’s nothing that can happen to your cape that a good hot wash won’t fix!
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