I always enjoy quoting Vernon Howard (1918-1992). His books are life-enhancing and I receive his quotes daily from the New Life Foundation. The following began a terrific discussion on one of my Facebook pages:
“Why do you get hurt? Not because of what people do but because you have demanded they should do as you wish.”
Many wrote that, not only did they enjoy the quote, but that it “hit very close to home” for them.
It hit very close to home for me, as well. I refer to this as when I thought I was supposed to be “General Manager of the Universe.” It never seemed to work out particularly well that way. Turns out I’m not qualified for the position. 🙂
In fact, only after I let go of these “demands” did the outcomes actually get much easier to accomplish. Funny how that works, isn’t it? Of course, that’s not to say I don’t still struggle with this from time to time – I absolutely do.
The key for me is staying conscious of it so that I can do a “course correction” when necessary.
How about you? Is this an area you have worked on, or need to work on? And what have you found to be the best way to do so?
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Great post, Bob. I can get into that “General Manager of the Universe” syndrome myself. I actually have a t-shirt that says “Queen of the F***ing Universe.” (although no asterisks on my t-shirt)
And what’s worse is, a friend gave me another one! Now I have two : )
But what I’ve learned is that the greatest experiences come when I release, let go, and stay open. That leaves room for serendipity, for a greater experience, and for much more joy.
Thanks for this great reminder.
Hi Bob, Great post. I can TOTALLY relate. This is perfect timing for me, so THANK YOU!!! I wsa mulling over something recently where I had asked a family member back in May to do something for me that would have entailed, logging onto FB and making a comment on something. It would have taken 2 min to do. I sent a few emails requesting this… No cigar. I took it so personally – alla GM of the Universe type reaction. Thanks for the reminder that I don’t have to micro-manage every single person in the universe. It’s such a relief 😉 I love your blog so much 🙂 Take care Bob.
Thank you Ava and Kirsty. Excellent thoughts!