#68 I Stepped in Dog Shit Today

I stepped in shit today.  Yep, that's exactly what happened.  I woke up this morning and walked over to turn on the closet light to put my contacts in.  As I’m stepping into the closet, I feel something mushy.  My dog fucking shit in the closet.

Dog Shit to Start the Day

I used to talk about having a bad day and daily perspective, but what happens if you basically step in dog shit to start your day?  It could go downhill fast from there, right?  What’s the point though?  Shit happens.

I step in it barefoot, at three in the morning, and now I’m trying to not track it all over the house.  I don't have my contacts in, and I can't see what's going on.  I want to kill the dog, and I'm trying to take a deep breath.  I washed my foot off in the shower and took a few more deep breaths.  I'm like, look, you can't let this ruin your day.

It's a Challenge

It's a challenge.  Sometimes things happen that we have absolutely no control over.  I can’t control that my dog has anxiety.  I can’t control what it did in the middle of the night.  What did this incident make me realize?  It made me realize that it’s all about how you react. 

None of us control every aspect of life.  We don’t control most things, do we?  We have our actions, we have our habits, and we have the things that we can't control.  The reality is that I have to keep my composure.

How Do You React?

It’s all about how you react to those things that are thrown your way.  When Ohio State won the National Championship with Zeke and Braxton, they were big on E+R=O.  Event plus reaction equals outcome.  Maybe they’re onto something. 

It comes down to the decisions you make.  The decisions you make when an obstacle is thrown your way or under stress.  Aka when you step in dog shit.  If I go crazy, wake up the whole house and go crazy on the dog, then I’m not going to be too proud of myself later.  Deep down, I knew that I rationally wasn’t going to do any of that stuff, so I made a move to use this as a source of content.

You must develop the mental fortitude to process those factors and situations that are beyond your control.  It could be a significant other that isn’t about what you’re about, a situation at work, or that you’re on a low-carb diet and hangry.  It’s all about how you respond.

Slipping Up

I can't say that this is something I do great at all the time, because it's not.  I have a history of punching inanimate objects.  When I was in high school, I slammed this kid's bike off the concrete about 1000 times because he ripped my rim down at my house that I spent a lot of time on.  I’ve had my moments of hotheadedness, but it’s also something that I’ve gotten better managing as I got older. 

Just something to think about in life, training, work, and your relationships.  Our lives are based on our actions, habits, and decisions we make on a regular basis.  Our actions, habits, and decisions will compound, for the better or worse.  It's just the truth.