Don’t give your control to “The Burnt Toast”

Do you ever have those moments where you feel like everything is going wrong? Did you spill your coffee? Did you get stuck in traffic or get a flat tyre? You didn’t get the job that you really wanted? In moments like these it’s easy to let our emotions get the better of us and set a precedent for the rest of our ‘bad’ day.

We certainly have every right to feel any emotions we are experiencing at that moment, however, these inconveniences are out of our control. We can’t control the situation but we can control how we react to the situation simply by choosing how we perceive it.

“ Burnt Toast Theory: If you burn your toast in the morning, the time you spend making another toast may have saved you from a car accident; or make you late to a meeting but you meet someone on the way that becomes special in your life. A reminder that the universe protects you. “

Imagine being able to change your reaction to inconveniences and unwanted situations by simply changing your mindset, ultimately changing your reality.

Self awareness became my super power, it allowed me to stay in control of the uncontrollable. My mindset shifted to a higher perspective and my emotions no longer consumed me.

Initially, becoming self aware of my own thoughts and emotions proposed its challenges. How was I supposed to remember to pay attention to my thoughts in a moment of elevated emotions?

Imagine spilling your coffee on your white t-shirt as you are leaving the house, what would your reaction be? I’m confident the unaware version of me would have become frustrated and angry, most likely mumbling curse words under my breath as I raced up stairs to get changed and then proceeded my day with a bad attitude as a result.

That was until unaware me experienced an epiphany:

“Our emotions are just a feeling we are experiencing, our emotions do not define who we are or control us; if we don’t allow them to” ~ Chelsea Kate

For a long time, my reactions to different situations were often similar; my emotions became elevated, at times consuming me and this set a precedent for the rest of my ‘bad’ day, controlling the way that I acted and behaved.

My perspective and reactions to unwanted situations dramatically shifted after experiencing my epiphany. Self aware me would share a small moment of pity for spilling coffee on my white t-shirt before accepting the fact that I can’t change the situation and believe that the reason for the inconvenience is due to a higher purpose.

I have learned to appreciate these moments as I believe they serve as a sign or a gentle reminder that everything happens for a reason. If you didn’t get the job that you really wanted, maybe the universe knows that there’s something better making its way to you. If you got a flat tyre, maybe the universe is telling you to slow down. If you got stuck in traffic at the most inconvenient time, maybe the universe is telling you to be patient. If you spilt coffee on yourself as you were leaving the house, maybe the universe is protecting your from an unfortunate accident.

The idea or belief that every inconvenience or outcome to an unwanted situation leads to our protection or a brighter aligned future allows us to let go of our need to try and control the uncontrollable. It shifts us out of a negative mindset into a positive mindset and enables us to better deal with situations and understand our emotions in a healthy way, without letting them consume us.

“It is what it is”