I like bumper sticker-type phrases, as my regular readers already know. But they can mislead me if I don’t stop and think it through. I can be guilty of reading and concluding too quickly.

Take this Blog title as an example. It can inspire me not to resign myself to the obstacles before me. I am encouraged to persevere against all odds, disregard the risk, and move onward and upward.

Change a couple of words and I’m not so sure.

Brave car-drivers proceed through fog. It sounds like a foolhardy thing to do. 

Flip this bird coin over, and you’ll read the bumper sticker saying, “It is better to switch than fight.”

Another expression is not to count your chickens before they hatch. It’s a cautionary tale, for sure. But too conservative for me without further thought. Life has its risks.  Life doesn’t come with guarantees unless it is proverbial death and taxes.

“Good enough is good enough” has often helped me stop being a perfectionist. At this point in my life, the expression has dramatically reduced my stress and increased my joy.

“How’s that working for you?” is my friend’s expression when he asked me when I was in a tough time. My answer was, “It isn’t!” He didn’t need to say anything further. I knew if I wanted an outcome different from the one I was having, I needed to change my thinking and my behaviour. Years later, I still use my friend’s expression to help me evaluate my current approach to problem-solving. It has significantly reduced my time-wasting whining.

“How about those Oilers?” is one of the expressions that I share with others. I insert it into conversations that seem to be going in circles. It also works well when the group is stuck or likely slipping into strong emotional topics. The conversation has stopped, and simultaneous monologues have taken over. Everybody laughs, and we switch to sports, or everybody stops talking for a few moments of quiet reflection.

Finally, when I get frustrated over things happening “to” me I Stop and try to put things in perspective. My favourite self-talk about an issue is “It’s a first-world problem.” Nine out of 10 times, it usually is.

Please give this a bit of a think. What are some expressions you use that you find helpful? Are there any that others use that you find not helpful? And just to stir the pot, what do you think of “Everything happens for a reason.”

I’m curious about your thoughts. Please share your bit of a think in the comment section below. It will come to me for approval before posting.

Photo by Thomas Griesbeck on Unsplash

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glenn.walmsley@icloud.com