Recently, I’ve noticed that there are a few situations that make me a bit anxious. Now, I’m not talking about full-blown panic attacks here. I’m just talking about situations that make me uncomfortable…when things are out of my control. Let’s look at a couple of these situations and see what we learn from them.
Situation 1: A few weeks ago, I volunteered at a fundraiser for a nonprofit that is affiliated with my church. It’s a cool organization and the fundraiser was built on a pretty cool concept. The only problem was that when I arrived to volunteer, no single individual was able to tell me what needed to be done. My instructions for the evening came from three to five different people and even after seeing each of them (several of them multiple times), I still didn’t have all of the answers. People would ask me questions and I didn’t know what to tell them. I had been on the scene for less than thirty minutes…how was I suppose to know where the bathroom was located…do I look like I know how much money we raised…am I suppose to know how much these tickets cost?!? By the end of the evening, I realized that I was Tense. And I really didn’t like myself very much at that point in time. When I get that tense, I tend to be short with people…especially when they’re asking me more questions that I can’t answer. So, what do we learn here??
Lesson 47: I don’t like not knowing the answers.
Crazy eyes!
Situation 2: Work party. I’ve never been grown-up enough for one of these. Given my reaction to this one, I’m still not sure that I’m grown-up enough for a “work party”. I work at a small bakery/coffee shop. The party was for friends/employees of the owner and a few special customers of the shop. Going in, I had no clue what to expect. I wasn’t sure how to act around my boss’s friends…when I’m actually just her employee…and I probably shouldn’t be socializing with her friends…because I’m her employee. Did I mention that this was a Mad Men themed party? And I had never seen Mad Men? By the power of bobby pins and hair spray, I got my hair into a French twist and headed out the door. When I got to my car, I sat there for a minute and seriously considered walking back into my apartment and curling up into a ball on my bed. On the way there, I almost had tears in my eyes. I was terrified. It’s not that I’m afraid of people…I’m just uncomfortable in situations where the expectations are unclear or confusing. Normally when I walk into that building, I put on an apron and start washing dishes. I went in last weekend wearing heels…no apron for me. I didn’t know how to act without my apron!
Lesson 48: I am most comfortable when expectations are clear.
Living a Life of Love 