Triggers. And why they’re PRICELESS..

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I LOVE triggers.

You know, those things that people say or do that really burn your ass and trigger a less-than-pleasant emotional response?

Ok, I’ll admit – I don’t necessarily love them in the moment. BUT, when seen in hindsight, triggers are GOLD..!

Just this past weekend I found myself knee deep in mucky self-doubt, all triggered by what I interpreted as rejection.

Yup, that particular trigger is an old friend of mine..

Here’s what happened:.

A friend that I haven’t seen in a while changed our plans to meet at the last minute. Things had changed for her and she re-prioritized her day.

Nothing wrong with that. Is there? Nope.

But that’s not how it felt for me in the moment.

I was already teetering on the brink of low emotion (u-huh, I’m human too) and this just nudged into the abyss of self-pity. And I fell..

Now, I won’t bore you with the sloppy details, suffice to say that after some serious puppy-love therapy (see last week’s musing) my emotional state improved, and I had access to a little more objectivity. Which offered a much needed shift in perspective.

You see, NONE of this was about my friend, or her actions.

It was ALL ME..

I CHOSE to interpret the situation as a measurement of my VALUE.

Quite simply, in a moment of insecurity, I perceived her action as a rejection of me.

That I wasn’t important enough.

And this perspective was MY choice..

Entirely.

Hence the feelings of self-pity (cue eye-roll).

But once I got a good grip on what REALLY happened, understood the trigger, I was able to shift in another direction. Just simply let it go.

And so to circle back to my earlier statement: I LOVE triggers.

Being able to recognise and shift old beliefs that occasionally get in the way, is PRICELESS.

Knowing that we’ve faced-down an old fear and shifted to a more empowering story is what gives us the confidence to do it again, and again. Expanding each and every time.

Which is the whole point. Isn’t it?

Simple, right..?