What exactly does the phrase “go with the flow” mean? As a semi-OCD perfectionist I have always struggled with this concept. Let me try and explain my brain to you. I once freaked out in Target because they didn’t have purple rugs to match my shower curtain. Before that incident, I had spent 4 months stressing over which shower curtain to actually buy. And one time, I cried in the car because my ice cream sundae didn’t live up to the expectations I had set for it.
While these are all funny examples of situations where I couldn’t accept any less than perfection, they were a wake up call that I needed to loosen up. So I challenged myself: whether I was feeling overwhelmed by a schedule change, freaked out by my less than perfect ice cream, or crushed by a retails store’s lack of purple colored rugs, I would try to “go with the flow” and see what happened.
What I found was amazing. Every time I decided to let it go and move on, I realized that life is more important than shower curtains or ice cream. By stressing out about the little things, I wasn’t appreciating the bigger picture. Why focus on the imperfections of my ice cream when I could just be happy about getting ice cream? Why freak out about buying a shower curtain when I should be thankful to have my own, brother free, bathroom? I was in shock at how well “going with the flow” could work for me.
I know this is a small life lesson, but for me it is one that resonates. No matter where you are in life, you will have bad moments. Moments where you get served the wrong food, or getting charged too much for your groceries. Moments where you’ve sat at a red light way too long, or have gotten points off your grade because of your partner. These moments are small, yet inevitable. How you handle them when they come is what’s important. I challenge you to “go with the flow” and appreciate the bigger picture.
India Kirssin 