Friday morning, a week ago, we learnt that a pipe burst at our lake cabin in Maine. Water was pouring out of the second floor bathroom flooding the whole downstairs. This had probably been going on for days. You can see what it looked like in the image.
Needless to say this was not a nice surprise.
Immediately, we went into action mode. Had the water turned off, called a plumber, water damage mitigation company, our insurance…
I was calm. Surprisingly calm and positive. Friends, family, all seemed much more phased by it than me. My positivity also surprised me.
This was a nice surprise.
I paused to pay attention to my internal dialogue. I was thinking that:
What is done is done and can’t be changed.
I was evaluating what is and isn’t under my control.
I knew I had a choice.
I confess that just a few years back my attitude would have likely been very different. This would have been a disaster.
I chose to focus on what I can be grateful for.
No one is hurt.
It is stuff.
We have insurance.
It is our vacation house, not our main house.
I imagined what the house would look like afterwards, post renovations.
In my coaching I help people see that they have a choice in how they respond to situations. We think of the opportunities a challenge could bring.
I am proud to report that I was able to implement these same strategies on myself too :).