Embrace the Mess: How To Love Life When It Isn't Nice and Neat

We all have a way we would like our life to go. We'd all love to wake up feeling refreshed every morning, or to feel fulfilled in our work, or to get along with our friends and family all the time. The thing is, life has a funny habit of not going according to plan. No matter how strongly you picture your future in your mind, life just might hit you with a completely unexpected curveball.

The trick is realizing that life's unexpected "messes" can be a blessing in disguise. They give you a chance to improvise and go with the flow, and you might find a few pleasant surprises along the way! So in today's blog, we're talking all about how to "embrace the mess" and love your life even when it isn't always nice and neat.

Hit Pause Before You React

When the unexpected hits you out of nowhere, it's easy to panic and lash out. It's actually something of a protective measure. However, that immediate reaction almost always makes things worse. So instead, take a pause. Breathe and examine the situation you find yourself in. Take a moment to recognize your feelings, too, without judgment. You might feel disappointed, or sad, or angry, and that's all okay.

After you take a beat, you can think about how to move forward. Maybe you already have an idea, or maybe you need to brainstorm with some close friends. But it'll all be easier to do once you're calm.

Eat an Elephant

You've probably heard the old adage that starts with the question, "How do you eat an elephant?" After all, an elephant is huge! How would you prepare the meat? Where would you put it? How would you store it? But the answer is actually quite simple: "one bite at a time."

Of course, most people will never have to face the problem of how to eat an entire elephant. But you may have a problem of an "elephant in the room": that problem you've been trying to avoid, but it's just too huge to ignore. The daunting task that seems too huge for anyone to take on alone. How do you do it? One bite at a time. Maybe you can't do everything today, so content yourself with doing one small thing. Then tomorrow, maybe you can do two small things. If you keep at it with gradual progression, pretty soon you'll walk into the room and find there's not much elephant left at all!

Sharpen Your Skills

When your plan goes completely off the rails, don't think of it as a problem; instead, see it as an opportunity. This is the training montage or the obstacle in the path of your adventure. This is a chance to sharpen your problem-solving and adaptability skills. Maybe it's a chance to rely on skills you usually don't utilize or didn't think you were ready for, but now you have no other choice. So like the hero on any great quest, it's time to recognize your potential and throw yourself at the challenge!

Recognize Your Resilience

Another way to embrace the mess in your life is by realizing just how tough you actually are! This new change may seem overwhelming, but think of all the other things in your life that haven't gone according to plan. Think of everything that you've faced to still be alive today, ready to face this new challenge. You're resilient. You'll bounce back from this, too, especially when you recognize your own power.

Lean On Your Support Network

Sometimes the greatest moments of friendship can come when you hit a snag in your life. Don't be afraid to reach out to your friends for help. In most cases, if they're available for it, they want to help you. In the best cases, tackling the problem together will actually bring you closer together. Those moments of sitting on the floor of a new apartment that your friend just helped you to move into with nothing in the room but piles of boxes, a pizza, and the laughter between you can be the moments you remember forever.

So the next time life hits you with something unexpected, get ready for adventure! This could be the new start to an exciting chapter in your life, even if it doesn't seem like it right now. And for more encouragement, check out the rest of Motivation Depot's blog, full of insights and motivation to get you through the day.