It's your world.

I recently traveled from Seattle to NYC for work and things didn’t go exactly as I wanted or planned. I had booked my flight to arrive in NY mid-afternoon, with plenty of time before a kick off networking event that evening. But first, my flight got delayed. Then when I finally got into the city to check in, the receptionist informed me that the air conditioning was down across my hotel. It was 90+ degrees outside. Ugh.

It was during this hotel check in debacle that I overheard a receptionist say to a guest: "Whatever you want, it’s your world!”

I thought to myself: Really? Whatever I want? I want to be at the event right now with my colleagues like I promised. I want to set my bags down and join before it ends. I want to sleep and rest comfortably and can’t do that in a 90 degree room. I want to not deal with finding a new hotel. 

Now thinking back to this moment of frustration: a lot of it was out of my control, however, I made choices that contributed. I chose the risk that comes with a same day flight, because I wanted more time and another night at home with Jack. I would also choose to miss that event I wanted to join with colleagues, in favor of promptly finding a new hotel, because I also wanted peace of mind. I am still glad I made these choices. Preserving my time with Jack and my well-being are both super important to me. More so than missing out and letting others down in this case.

This work trip blip was a small reminder. 

Life will throw us curveballs. We won’t get everything we want. What we want and what is most important isn’t always so straightforward. But whether we realize it or not, we are usually making choices. These choices feel best when we know ourselves, and what we will (and will not) sacrifice, regardless of the outcome.

So remember, even when things don’t go your way or you aren’t sure how things will turn out, you get to choose which way you go forward.

Maybe the hotel receptionist was right. It all comes down to whatever you want. But then again, you’ve got to know what you want. After all, it is your world.