Take a Step Back

The other day I went into WalMart to grab a quick snack comprised of a banana, an apple turnover and some milk. I didn’t want a gallon or a half gallon of milk, I just wanted one of those little bottles that one can drink in the car. After getting the banana, I went over to the dairy section to look for the milk. I stood at the section that had the smaller bottles of chocolate milk and looked. I couldn’t find the plain milk in the small bottles anywhere. I looked at the chocolate milk rack and just below it, and it just wasn’t there! Then an interesting thing happened. I took a step back. In doing this, I was able to see the entire case, in addition to the two cases on either side. Low and behold, there were the containers of milk that I was looking for.

The moment that I stepped back, I could see more, or more of the big picture, as it were. It was at that moment that I realized what that saying meant. You know, the one that says something like, when you are too close to a situation, you need to take a step back away from it. 

The dictionary talks about taking a step back as,“to withdraw from something, especially to consider it from a wider perspective”. It comes from what I literally did in order to see my situation more clearly, and to be able to find a solution to my problem.

I guess that most words of wisdom are created from something that is done, at least once, with a successful result. I have to wonder what the person was doing, who came up with this concept of taking a step back. Maybe looking for some milk to go with breakfast, but probably not.

It’s amazing, however, how something this simple and something that I’ve heard over and over for years, really didn’t hit me until I actually had to do it, and now it makes sense. So, when ever you run into a problem that you feel is difficult to figure out, take that step back. Whether it’s a mental step or a physical step that you need to take, remember that it’s a step back to get a better view of the entire problem as well as a view of the possible solution. In other words, don’t focus so hard on the one problem point that you lose sight of the goal. Take that step back and let it help you move forward toward the the solution or reward that’s waiting for you!

Drew ~

It’s Taken Care of…

It’s Taken Care of…

by Drew Bankston

I look around at people and see the worry and concern that they have for their lives, and I have to wonder…why?

Okay, truth be told, I don’t really wonder why. I used to be right there, and righty so! There wasn’t a month go by when I wasn’t worried about something. Mostly money. I think that we all worry about money at least once in our lives. I had other worries too, though, oh yes sir I certainly did! When I look back on things I really wonder why I was so worried.

Here I am, so many years later, and not without worry, but my worries are somehow fewer than they used to be. Life has not, by any means, become simpler, but I have come to understand it better.

One of the biggest things that I’ve found is the need to play. We’ve all heard it before. When we’re kids, out work is play…and so on. The fact of the matter is that we are no longer kids. We are adults. We have responsibilities, lives, jobs, families, bills and payments and probably a lot more than I have time to list here. We do however, have one thing that can benefit us, reduce our stress, lessen our worry and make us feel so much better in life. It’s something that won’t cost you anything unless you want it to. It’s a gift that allows you to live a little better. I know that you’re wondering what this miracle is, and how you can get it. Here it comes! Relaxation.

Okay, so now you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about. Take a look at the title of this blog. So many of us just go, constantly, without stopping, and never give ourselves the opportunity to relax. We go straight from one project into another, without taking any time to reset. Some of us, only take five minutes to relax. What the heck is that? How do you relax, or do you? Do you take time to sit down with a good book and a cup of tea, or glass of wine. Do you rest your mind as well as your body? Here’s the advice: Take a break! When, as the title indicates, it’s taken care of and the project is over (or the day for that matter) give yourself the time that you need to relax. Rest your body and your mind. Don’t say that you don’t have the time. Make the time and time will make way for your needs. It’s really amazing how it all works and comes together. Try it. That’s all I’m asking. Give it a couple of days and see if I’m not right about this. You’ll feel so much better and get so much more done, you won’t believe it.

Melt your troubles and worries away, become more productive, and live a better life by relaxing on a regular basis. Take a walk. Read a book. Look at art. Listen to music. Do whatever it is that helps you to relax and reset, and the world will be yours for the taking. Come on, try it.

Roundabout Life

Over the past few years, the city that I live in has started installing more and more roundabouts in intersections. At first, I wasn’t sure why they would do that, but then I was told that these would help us save gas because people wouldn’t have to stop as frequently as they would if a stop sign had been placed in the same spot. Made some sense, so okay. Not that there was anything I could do about it. Anyway, I learned rather quickly what the rules of the traffic circle were. Basically, if someone is in there, they have the right of way, and I need to wait until it’s clear. Simple enough, or so I thought.

It all seemed to work well for a while, but then I started seeing more and more people who felt that they should just bolt out into the circle regardless of who was in there or how close they were. This seemed to cause a lot of hard feelings in addition to scared drivers!

So, as I tend to do often, I looked at this as a great opportunity to compare life to a roundabout, and it seemed to work well. Staying with me? Okay, here we go.

In life, for the most part, we travel straight with an occasional bend in the road and maybe a right turn or left turn just when we need to adjust our course. If we’re lucky, there are sign posts and maps along the way, to help us reach all of the destinations that we want to in life. Then, somebody up and decides that they’re going to put up a roundabout. It throws some new rules into our everyday travel through life, and makes it so that you discover how many strange and unknowing people there really are around you. You do your best to keep on going, but every now and again, there’s something that happens to cause you to have to circle another time. Did you miss the turn that you needed by not being prepared? Were you feeling the pressure of the guy behind you or others competing with you? Whatever the reason, you find yourself going around a second time. Eventually, though, you make it out alive and none the worse for wear. In fact, you make it out and find yourself a little more savvy when it comes to maneuvering these traffic circles of life. 

When you find things that apparently send you spinning, out of control, and wondering where you’ll go next to get out of this, you eventually find your way to a better place and realize that you now know more than you did before the event. It’s never just smooth sailing through life. If it were, there would be no challenge and nothing to shoot for. As it is, life’s little roundabouts help us all to take a breath and then carry on, knowing that our destination is just up ahead. Keep going folks. You’ll get there, maybe a little dizzy, but better for having thought your way through it.

Drew