We’ve all had our share of bad days. Sometimes, one little thing sends us off track and sets the tone for the day to be “less than ideal.” Other times, it is one thing that turns into a mountain of small mishaps that snowball like a blizzard ready to engulf you. So, how do you change your circumstances for the better and trust the timing of your life?
Most of us have had “THE” day where nothing seems to go right. It is the kind of day that starts out when we wake up late and hit that snooze button one time too many, then stagger out of bed into the shower to get ready, only to find that we are running very late getting out the door for an appointment. You know the drill; you quickly grab coffee, keys, and your personal belongings with no time to eat breakfast. Now your body is running on fumes all morning, which will make for an empty-tank-not-so-friendly experience with you wherever you go this morning, and then, you get stuck in traffic behind a line of never-ending school buses.
We all know how it feels to experience rejection, loss, and failure in our lives. Moving on when this happens can be grueling but not impossible. All of us cope with these circumstances in various ways, like alone time to process what happened, support from loved ones, or words of encouragement from others during a challenging time. “Everything happens for a reason” is a common statement we hear from others when life deals us less than what we think we should have at that moment. Some people call this bad timing or luck, others connect it to the universe, and some link it to their faith. No matter what your personal beliefs are, we can probably all agree that there is significant power to harness when you learn to trust the timing of your life.
Want to learn how to trust the timing in your life? This article will break down simple ways to help you learn how and why it’s so powerful to trust the timing of your life.
How Do You Trust the Timing of Your Life?
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to have the wherewithal to stay positive despite negative things occurring in our daily lives? Each one of us has our own personal limits for what we can withstand before things bother us or we reach our “breaking point.” This internal gauge is very different for each one of us. To make matters worse, sometimes our personal circumstances impact what we can put up with at that moment as well. When our personal needs have not been met, it can significantly alter our reaction to negative events, even causing us to overreact. It is wise to stop before reacting and ask yourself – “did I get enough sleep,” or “When was the last time I ate something?” These questions can serve as a reminder of our bigger picture and might inspire us to have more patience with our situation.
The next time you are faced with less than favorable circumstances, slow down, take a deep breath, and instead of reacting to the challenge, intentionally respond to it. A reaction is emotional and not well thought out. Usually, when we react to something, we are very “in the moment.” Alternatively, a response is something that we do intentionally. A response, by definition, is “ to make a return as if in answer, or simply to react favorably.”
To respond vs. react would be how we respond to something with less emotion and more logic, but more importantly, with more discernment or thoughtfulness. Responding is precisely the opposite of reacting. When done with trust in the timing of your life, you accept you don’t have control – God does – it can be refreshing and strengthen and empower us.
Take It One Step At A Time With 5 Practical Tips
If you think trusting in your life’s timing is easier said than done, you are not alone in your thoughts. Try these 5 practical tips and take it one step at a time:
- Do what you love. Working towards a greater purpose makes you feel fulfilled by the overall process, not just the end goal. If you practice this, you will notice this improves your patience in general and while you work to reach your goals. Learn more about doing what you love at work.
- Accept what you can and can’t control. When something frustrates you, ask yourself if there’s anything you can do about it. If you can do nothing about it, there is no reason to worry or stay upset about it. If you decide there is something you can do about it, make sure it is productive and positive before moving forward.
- Be thankful every day. Whether you write a list of what you are grateful for to remind yourself, say prayers of thanksgiving for them, or remember them at the end of each day, these practices will help you feel fulfilled right now.
- Self-love. When you take steps to take care of yourself, you learn to be more comfortable in your own skin, and you tend to feel happier and less stressed in general but also when presented with challenges.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. The timing in someone else’s life has nothing to do with yours. Life takes different turns for different people. Your moment will come in its own time. Learn to let go of idealization for where you think you should be right now and accept where you are.
What Does the Timing of Your Life Mean?
First, to trust the timing of your life and understand the difference between what we can and cannot control. If we learn that difference, we learn to accept that parts of our lives are completely out of our control, and in turn, we give ourselves permission to stop trying to control everything. A self-centered personality trait that goes nowhere fast is a desire to control everything. It constantly states, “I must be the center of the universe,” or “Everything I do is more important than what others do.” Imagine the disappointment you set yourself up for if you believe you should win at everything in every area and moment of your life. Instead, there must be a belief in a higher power to be able to release those selfish ways. When you believe that God is in control and has a greater purpose for your life, this belief can help you become more at peace with your life.
Second, when we clearly see and understand what is inside our control, we can focus our energy on productively changing our circumstances. The concept of trusting your life’s timing means accepting that we have good fortune when it is meant to be. That means if everything is happening exactly as it should, we can relax and enjoy the ride because there is a greater plan for our greater good at play. This sentiment suggests that God has a plan for us, so chasing what we want with too much desperation is unnecessary.
To keep things in perspective, it is wise to frequently remind ourselves that just because something is not going well for us at the moment doesn’t mean it will stay that way. If we’re too desolately focused on the outcome rather than the process, this can frustrate us and sometimes spoil our chances of success.
The sentiment of “if it comes, let it come” is often used to help people focus on their habits rather than their results. Accept the timing in your life, let go, and finally trust God to deliver what you need when you need it.
Some Amazing People Waited For Success
There are plenty of success stories of celebrities and entrepreneurs who didn’t “make it” until later in life. Check out this list of a few famous late bloomers:
- Stan Lee created his first comic book at age 39.
- Eric Yuan founded Zoom at the age of 41.
- Julia Child published her first cookbook at age 50.
- Betty White joined the cast of the “Mary Tyler Moore” show and became an icon at age 51.
8 Benefits When You Trust The Timing In Your Life
- Live Authentically: When you learn to trust the timing of your life, you’ll feel empowered to live authentically. When you live life as the best version of yourself, you naturally become more likable, bringing you more joy.
- Live Without Fear: Fear is essentially worrying about the future. When you trust the timing of your life, a lot of these worries will evaporate.
- Develop Presence: When you trust the universe to deliver what you want at the right time, it becomes easier to clear your head of unhelpful thoughts and live in the present moment.
- Learn To Appreciate The Journey: You can be happy now instead of later when you learn to appreciate the journey toward your goals. That’s better than telling yourself you’ll only be happy when you achieve a certain goal. Letting go of the conditional idea that you will only be happy if you achieve a goal makes it a lot easier to enjoy your daily progress.
- Feel As If You Earned Your Success: There will be no need to suffer from imposter syndrome nor to fear that your success will be taken away. When you believe success was earned and supposed to happen to you at this time, you’ll have no problem accepting it.
- Feel Protected By God: Most religions believe in a higher power looking out for them and making everything happen for a reason. If you have faith in God to protect you and deliver only what’s best for you in the long run, this can keep you going through tough times.
- Look For a Silver Lining: Sometimes, bad things can turn out to be blessings in disguise, especially if we respond to them with hope or use them to learn from. When you trust the timing of your life, it becomes easier to look for the silver lining in things.
- Find More Joy and Peace In Your Life: Find peace and joy in your life by practicing some or all of these suggestions. If you do, you will have more positive energy, and that will make relationships easier. Those that are positive-minded tend to be healthier and do better at work.
Life goes by quickly, so let go and take the time to enjoy your life. With a newfound respect for change and an appreciation for the journey of life, you will see many positive things happening. Your connections with others will be less toxic and more fulfilling, making you more in tune with your loved ones. Your productivity at work will excel and you will start to enjoy tasks more. You will realize that you have the power to change the things you’re unhappy with, so there will be less worry about frivolous things. There is nothing more magical than being open to trusting the timing of your life.
This blog post really puts things into perspective for me. I’ve always been jealous of how others succeed and been down on myself for “not measuring up”. Not anymore. Now, I can really see that whatever is happening in my life is happening for a purpose and in the right timing. I can’t believe how much time I wasted worrying about what I don’t have. Especially in those circumstances where I eventually got whatever I was worrying about not having later down the road.
Thanks for taking the time to leave such positive comments. It is wonderful to know the post resonated with you so much!