Here you are, going about your day, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping, all is well and then “IT” happens.

BOOM.

The world as you know it turned upside down.

Panic ensues.

The worst case scenarios start playing through your mind.

You want to curl up in a ball and die.

The initial reaction of probably everybody on the planet, save for a few Zen masters.

What do you do?

Do you try to nip it in the bud or do you allow yourself to go through the “hit by a curveball” grieving process?

At this point in time, none of that is probably on your mind at all. Your mind is a going a million miles an hour at this point and can’t really “center” to make decisions. It’s just going by pure instinct.

So it’s likely you’ll stay in this panicky stage until you’re down.

WAY DOWN.

At that point, just breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Get back to the present by focusing and concentrating on your breathing.

Breathe slowly and deeply.

Then simply go to work on identifying what you can control and go on controlling what you can to resolve the issue.

The longer you abstain from working on the issue, the scarier that mental chatter in your head becomes.

Do as much “roll up your sleeve” work as you can. Ask for help and advice from other people. Do the best you can. It will alleviate the pressure.

But the most important thing that occurs from all this is what you have to take away when the dust settles.

Appreciate the message.

Appreciate the message of that huge curveball.

It’s a wake up call.

Things aren’t always going to be the same.

Change is inevitable.

And what I love about this wake up call is that it makes you RE-EVALUATE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE.

The things you were so sure of – not so sure anymore.

The things you believed so strongly in – not so much anymore.

The things you thought you wanted – don’t want as much anymore.

It’s a reset of your life. And it’s a beautiful thing because it FORCES you to do so. So many people are content to avoid doing this but eventually, it will be forced upon you like it has everybody else.

EVERYBODY has their own story of their huge curveball but if you look at the epilogue of that story – you’ll see it’s pretty much a good thing. People are better off because of it.

Why?

When the dust settles, is where the best part of the curveball is because it gives you “blank slate change energy”.

Everything you thought about life gets wiped clean and you are able to paint with a fresh canvas.

You not only have that opportunity – you have the change energy to go with it.

You see, some people never get the blank slate, let alone the energy. But the two go hand in hand. The blank slate gives you the energy to paint broad strokes on a pure white canvas whereas if your canvas is already painted on, you only tend to make small, narrow strokes here and there, so you don’t “mess up” your current painting of life so nothing ever really changes.

This is also a pivotal point because of that blank canvas.

You can use that energy to paint something dark, or paint something more hopeful.

And whatever you decide to “paint” will dictate how you change as a person until your next curveball hits you.

Will you paint “the world is against me!” and live always in reaction, or will you paint “life happens but I always have the power to choose how to respond to it and make it work toward my advantage” and live a life of personal power?

The choice is yours.

You’re back to that point where your life has the power to TRULY change.

To start fresh.

To start anew.

It’s only up to you on how you want it to.