You Get What You Get! Make The Most Of It!

It never ceases to amaze me how many people spend so much of their time complaining about what life has handed them. It amazes me how much time people spend complaining about what they “got” or “didn’t get”. As far as I’m concerned, you get what you get! From there you have a choice. You have the choice to complain about it, to whine about it, or to get over it and make the most of it!

I recently spoke with someone who was complaining about everyone else having “it all” and hadn’t they worked long enough and hard enough to have the same things? When I looked at this person, I saw a successful individual who didn’t outwardly appear to want for much… yet they were unhappy and looking for that greener grass that was on the other side of the fence!

I see physically handicapped individuals who never utter a word of complaint. I see physically capable individuals who complain over an injury and bemoan the fact that “this happened to them”. I see cancer victims spending countless hours wondering “why me” and ultimately waste so much of their precious time with their friends and family. I see cancer victims who live life with renewed vigor to make the most of where they are and who they are with! It’s an interesting study as to why individuals turn one way or the other in their thought processes… to become the “victim” or the “victor”.

It’s not only “you get what you get”. I truly believe it’s also “you get what you give”. If you give out negative thoughts like candy on Halloween, then guess what? You’re going to get back negative thoughts! If you promote positive energy, then positive energy will flow back to you!

Of course there are times when we all may wonder why something happened to us. We may not understand why we “got what we got”. We must ask, however, what in the world is the use of spending time complaining, dissecting, inspecting, evaluating, and critiquing it? You get what you get! Get ON with it!

Someone asked me a curious question the other day. I was asked, “Had I ever wondered WHY and HOW COME I got breast cancer.” The question really floored me. The quick answer was “No”… which evolved into quite the animated argument as this individual simply did not believe me. “How could you NOT question WHY you got cancer?”, she asked. She continued on with what I call the ‘but factors’… “But you were so healthy! But you didn’t smoke! But you exercised every day! Doesn’t it make you angry that YOU got cancer? My reply was, “What good would it do to ask the question… the answer doesn’t matter! You get what you get and I got cancer!” Thank goodness I had been pretty healthy prior to diagnosis as it put me in a better position to fight the disease! Ultimately, this person concluded that I was missing something in my brain because it was human nature to question the “why” of things! An amazing concept to me!

I’ve never been one to question the “why” of things… life throws you a curveball, you need to do something with it… catch it, swing at it, duck… you still “get what you get”… the curveball.

Why ask why? Life hands you cancer? You’ve got to deal with it! Life hands you relationship issues, avoiding them won’t help! Life hands you a job you’re not crazy about? You still need to pay the bills… either put up with it or change it… you still “get what you get!” What you DO with what you get is what makes the difference!

We all “get” something in our lives… it’s up to us to make the most of it!

I believe if children growing up in our abundant society today would learn this concept early, we will ultimately have a future of more well-adjusted, productive, and happy individuals. If children learn early on that whining and complaining about the “injustices in their lives” such as not having the latest cell phone, no cable television in their bedrooms, not being able to stay out with friends past curfew, that work must be performed to earn money to buy things they want, that they must contribute to chores around the house, that they may not get into their first choice of a college, that if they don’t work hard in school they won’t get the grades they desire. If kids simply learn the skill and ability to realize that they “get what they get” and how they deal with it makes all the difference… wow! Imagine the power! If our young adults realize that they have the power to make the CHOICE to either sit and complain about what they ‘got’ or that they can take “what they got” and make the choice to make changes in their life to go after their dreams, goals and desires… wow!

We all have so much potential! We all have so much power! We all have the ability to take “what we got” and truly “make the most of it!”

So the next time something happens to you and you feel yourself going down the “woe is me” pathway….stop! Stop and rewind the tape! Rewind the tape to where you take a look at what life has handed you… smile… think to yourself, “You get what you get… now what am I going to do with it?”

Glenna G. Sanford, instructor, trainer, motivational speaker, author, and breast cancer survivor has taught seminars on public speaking, presentation skills, and other communication topics for more than 10 years. In addition to communication topic based seminars, Glenna also provides motivational and inspirational seminars based on her experience with cancer. Currently an adjunct distance learning faculty member at Bristol Community College in MA, Glenna conducts seminars throughout the country and is available to customize a program to meet the needs of your company or organization.

Having received her BA degree from Saint Anselm College (NH) and her MS from Riviera College (NH), Glenna went on to work in the fields of public relations, marketing, development, communication training and higher education. In addition to her work, Glenna is an active promoter of awareness and fund-raising for treatment and research for breast cancer and is a speaker for the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation.

Glenna and her husband currently live in North Carolina with their two children.

Tags: choices, joy, life

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