Coaching Corner: What file Do You Use?
by Marilou Butcher Roth, Master Coach
It may appear at first glance, that I am referring to some sort of filing tip. Nope, not today. Today we are going to look at what we can control in our lives, and what we can’t, and this is no easy feat for some of us!
Here is our first order of business, I want you to grab two files...you remember files don’t you? Those are the manilla items that would hold our paperwork before everything went digital, and if you were really fancy, you had colored ones. Anyway, get two of them, and on one write, “Things I Can Control,” and on the other write, “Things I Cannot Control.” Good, now put those aside for a moment, and let’s talk about what to do with them.
Today, it happens that the sun is shining, and as we know, that is often not the case, especially in Ohio where our winters tend to be on the gray and dismal side. You may laugh at this and yet weather is something that I feel very affected by and have NO control over, except traveling to a spot where the weather is more pleasing to me. When I feel the effects of the weather, it would go into, the “Things I Cannot Control” file.
What about someone else’s bad attitude? Or when the grocery store is out of your favorite honey? Again, these are items that we have no control over, and sometimes, yet sometimes, that does not keep us from reacting negatively.
This is far from new information for you, so why the files? All of us may know what we can control and what we can’t, and, that information alone does not ensure that we are able to let those items go and move on with our lives. Hence the files! You now have something concrete that you can see and feel, even be able to bring them to mind when they are not physically with you.
As situations arise that may cause some angst for you, get out your files (or imagine them), and determine which file is appropriate for the situation at hand, and which will hopefully bring you to a clearer place. Enjoy!
Marilou Butcher Roth
Marilou Butcher Roth is the owner of The MBR Group, a coaching and training company working primarily with REALTORS who have a desire to work and live from a more inspired place. She is also the Broker/Owner of Group REALTORS in Cincinnati.
Marilou is a member of the Ohio REALTORS Board of Directors and past chairman of the organization’s Communications Committee.
