Beach Builder

If you want to build character in your life, BE READY. Opportunities to practice those new principles may be just around the corner ...or just over the next wave!

Do you have a character trait that you know could use some work? One of my less desirable traits is the ability to be rather expressive. I am fully aware and currently working to express with more poise - and learning when it may be best to express nothing at all!

This week brought one of those learning opportunities.

It started with my terrific idea to head to the beach after an appointment! My doctor's office is mere minutes from the beach and I love to take advantage. After two weeks of back-to-back visitors and travel, the timing was perfect to slip away, relax, create, and conquer some writing.

When you live near a beach, you learn where to find the private areas and which days are less populated. Obviously, Thursday, mid-morning, in July is NOT one of those times! In spite of picking the wrong day and time, it was not horribly crowded and I found a wonderful spot near two individual towels (aka, quiet single people). I set up my chair, anchored my umbrella, situated my drink, placed my cooler bag in the shade, snapped a couple pics for a posting, and was finally settling in for my special beach day.

Hold that thought for a moment while I tell you about the trick which helps me behave appropriately when I really want to react otherwise. Although I am currently working on a couple of books, and I do love to speak, I seriously doubt I will ever become a well-known public face. That thought though, allows me to consider the what if?! So when I'm tempted to share a piece of my mind that ought not be shared, I simply tell myself, "I can't do that because when I'm famous that would be embarrassing!" Let me tell you, that silly sentence really puts things in perspective and stops me in my tracks!

Okay, now you know my secret trick, back to my special private beach day...

Remember, I'm anchored, situated, set up, pics are taken, and I'm now leaned back with pen in hand. Except, just as my quiet day begins... down the beach trots a couple about my age who plop RIGHT in front of me, maybe 10' away. Perhaps they were a sliver to the left, but their tiki hut umbrella, most definitely cut into my view of the beach and water! As I was contemplating the frustration and how I should react, the smell of cigarette smoke began wafting in my direction. This became the point where I wanted to offer Mr. & Mrs. Tiki Hut my business card and let them know my Life Coaching also provides Beach Etiquette Lessons! I mean, who has not heard of invading personal space?!

So what do I do? I say to myself, "I can't do that because when I'm famous that would be embarrassing!" Then, I quietly find a new spot several yards away, still near the individual towels I had spotted, yet far enough behind to stay out of their space. I unwind and disassemble my umbrella post, relocate my chair, brush off my thermos that had fallen into the sand, re-set the umbrella, situate my bags, and settle in once again.

Mission accomplished! And all with a good attitude! My character building is working and it really wasn't so bad, after all. By this time, I was feeling rather proud of myself, and rather warm because so much time had now passed into my morning. I now anticipated my stroll down to the water even more! This would be my little reward-to-self for doing the right thing. Besides, it really was still early in the morning and the whole afternoon was ahead. I had plenty of day left to relish this moment of free time. With that, I walked down the sand to wade for a bit. I let the waves splash to cool my skin, I breathed the fresh air, and I took in the beautiful emerald colors before turning back for my chair. I had set this day aside truly to get creative with writing so, as much as I could have stayed at that water's edge for hours, it really was time to get to work.

As I turned to head back to my new area, though, you can imagine my thoughts when I discover that the one "individual" I settled behind, had now left the beach and just that quickly, two men had parked their bold red, white & blue umbrella just to the left of me and even CLOSER than the tiki hut couple had been! Was this really happening? I thought I already had my character built for the day! At this point, I wanted to huff and grab my umbrella and demonstrate to these men how rude it was to set up almost directly in front of someone! But then, I said to myself, I can't do that because when I'm famous that would be embarrassing! So instead of grumbling loud enough to teach them a lesson, I contemplated my options and decided I should simply stay put. In spite of their cigars and the football I see them take to the shoreline, I pull my pen and notepad and begin to write. I do not start a new chapter for my book, but rather I write about the lessons I'm learning from this experience. This is too unique not to share and use to encourage others. At this point I am determined to overcome and be an example of how you can turn a disastrous morning into a wonderfully successful day.

Even my creativity, though, cannot devise the upcoming scenario...

The person to my right (with the other individual beach towel), has finished their morning swim and leaves a wonderful open view to the gulf!! Ahh, this is working out after all. As I'm beginning to feel accomplished for the way I handled the earlier disruptions, though, my character building is tested yet again! In that wonderful open space, a family of FIVE steps right in to set up camp! This intrusion is slightly forward and to the RIGHT of my personal space bubble. In spite of their bickering, however, and the pre-teen with horrible belching manners, I decide I'll simply endure the situation and stay put. At least the cigars from the men smell better than the cigarettes from Mr. & Mrs. Tiki Hut.

But then, the plot thickens! Really?! God is obviously taking me seriously on my desire to build better character in my life. Remember those two men on the left I had decided I could handle?? Yes, suddenly, FOUR more people join them... complete with their own matching bold red, white & blue umbrella, additional chairs, and two boogie boards! And on which side do you guess they settle in with their friends?? Their right side. Which places all of them almost directly in front of me, completely blocking my line of view to the morning's beautiful emerald waters.

Deep breath. Determined to keep my cool and react with poise, I once again, disassemble my umbrella, unscrew the base from the sand, and assess for any remaining open areas. I find a spot with a view and, for the THIRD time, I calmy re-stake my umbrella, then move my chair, my cooler, my bag, my drink, and my shoes. This time, I take a long sip of tea and another deep breath. I continue to journal the challenging morning, committed to making it a positive day and hopefully an experience to share.

When life throws one frustrating experience after another, it is easy to throw up our hands, focus on the negative, and let it set the course for the rest of our day.

Please let me encourage you!

When your morning, or week, or month, or even your year starts out disastrously,

lift up your chin, look ahead, and BOLDLY DETERMINE

to make the best of your situation!

I truly cannot express how frustrating that morning was to me. All I wanted was to have some quiet peaceful reflective time alone after a busy spell in my life. Very easily, I could have thrown in the beach towel and let those back-to-back interruptions completely ruin the special day I had set aside for myself. I could have held onto what those people did and replayed it over and over, shaking my head all day at how they invaded my space and my free time. Instead, I simply moved on and focused on the goal of my day. I accepted that I was at a public beach, and I made a choice to move my focus to the positive.

Oddly, for the rest of the day, I had my own front seat view of the water! No one else entered my bubble. I wrote, I read a book, I ate snacks and watched the white foamy waves crash. I took a long walk and got in a swim. I saw a huge white fish along the water's edge, I found a unique seashell, and I laughed with a little family enjoying the gulf for their very first time. I got sun, enjoyed the breeze, and walked to a remote area where I breathed in, absorbed, and prayed for some situations that are currently heavy on my heart. The day was beautiful and, to my surprise, the expected rain blew north and added more hours to the day!

When life throws you for a curve, because it will do that sometimes, please make the choice to stay encouraged and watch goodness prevail...because it will do that, too.

If you would like encouragement changing habits or disruptive patterns, please send an email request to michelle@mountainmoveconsulting.com. I would love to help you find personal success! Initial sessions are complimentary.