Celebrating the Small

I had a conversation with a student today, and it was a challenging one.  And unfortunately, as events would have it, things conspired to ensure that it was a challenging one. 

But this time, I bucked the trend;  I was bound and determined to bring this conversation to a positive finish.  I even told the student that no matter which way the conversation went, that we would find a way to end it on a positive note.  I told the student that we would wrap up with a positive step forward.

In high school, someone told me that a kick in the butt was still a step forward.  They were right; however, I have found that it often takes a lot of thought and reflection (and help) to see that step—especially in a positive light.  It is about refining your moments instead of them define you.  Some people call this “flipping it”, taking something negative and flipping it into something good.  It’s a shift:  a very meaningful and planned shift in thinking, in acting and in being.

We did end on a positive note, albeit it a small one.  Getting upset was the easy way out;  it is too easy for a pair of people to get upset about something or about each other.  It is much more difficult—and much more rewarding—to work together to find a positive step to end on.  I chose to end with a positive step forward today because that gives us something better to start on the next time that we have a conversation.  It was definitely more work and took more energy, but we each left the conversation in a better place than we were during the events that led to it.  It can take a tonne of energy to find the small victories, but once you take the time to look you will be amazed at how often you do find them.

Sometimes, finding something small is the biggest thing that you can do.