The "Ah-Ha" Moment

I love the "Ah-Ha" moments in life. I love them because they can be rare, but also because they feel good. You can be sitting, staring at something for minutes, hours, days even (if you walk away and come back haha), and all you become is frustrated why you can't seem to "get it"! I don't think it means that you are incompetent, or even not very smart (although that is definitely how you feel when you are not quite understanding), I think it means that you need more time to process what you're looking at, or what you are trying to figure out. Not all the time will we catch on and have the light bulb above our head shine bright.

Those moments when we "don't get it", are moments when we are at our greatest. I am sure that sounds completely odd to some people reading this post but I truly believe that once we are faced with a difficult/confusing/frustrating/complex situation or problem, that is when we show our real self. How do you know what you are made of if you don't let yourself feel weak? And when you are faced with a tough situation, a feeling of weakness is exactly what occurs. When faced with that tough situation, maybe you get stressed out, maybe you pull your hair, chew your nails, breathe heavy, grit your teeth, hit the desk or push your chair out and walk away to cool down. These things are not wrong necessarily, but it is what you do in the end that defines you. You need to step up and face the problem head-on; look it straight in the eye and tell it "you're not going to win". Ok, maybe not out loud but in your head haha. Our strength comes from what we do when we are stressed or confused - we need to just take 10 deep breaths (5 breaths for those of you that are not so hot-headed), sit back down and face it again. I always find that walking away for a few minutes helps - it clears the head and allows you to gain back a more clear perspective on the issue.

But when you come back and are ready to face the problem (whether it be a student's work you are correcting and he/she is just being lazy or missed a step you told them about 3 times already, or if your dog piddled on the floor because they were excited to see you and now you have to clean it up, or your child spilled their glass of juice on your new carpet), you need to step out, take a breath, come back and FACE IT! Every situation is different and unique but the approach needs to remain the same. It is all in your head. You can figure it out. When you're trying to put together that new coffee table from IKEA and it has about 1000 little screws and plugs and you can't understand where they could possible all go......just breath. Adversity comes in many forms. Rising up above the problem and solving it can make you feel so good. Concentrate on that good feeling you will have once this is over, step back into the situation and get it done. It is amazing how the moment of clarity (aka. the solution) that you have been searching for, for minutes, hours, days, will just pop up in front of you, making you so elated and excited that you can hardly wait to finish the task.

It is amazing how our attitudes change as soon as our "Ah-Ha" moment arrives. All of the sudden we aren't the bear that we were a minute ago when we were frustrated with the situation; all of the sudden we are beaming and grinning because our "Ah-Ha" bulb is here! We almost can't wait to tell someone - usually we do! All humans are the same and we face a lot of the same struggles so take your "chill pill" and get back at it - you will have your moment....you just have to be patient - that moment will be yours. In the words of Wayne Campbell on Wayne's World - "Oh yes, it will be mine".