This morning I awoke to pouring rain and decided I had to revert to Plan B for my Sunday workout. Typically I enjoy doing a trail run on Sunday mornings but the thought of slogging through heavy rain for 60-90 minutes was not appealing. I decided to hit the 8AM spin class at the gym and do some cross-training.

I arrived to class 15 minutes early and it was already full, which wasn't surprising for a rainy day. When the clock struck 8AM however, the instructor was no where to be seen. Typically the instructor is already on his bike drinking his "Full Throttle" or some other hardcore energy drink. I decided to just put on my headphones and listen to my music while I warmed up. The minutes passed and it seemed the instructor was going to be a no show. At first my fellow spin class attendees seemed a bit anxious as they kept peering at the clock possibly wondering, "Where is our fearless spin class leader?" Eventually however one person after another just started spinning, with our without headphones.They either chatted with their neighbor and just went into a zen-like spinning trance.

While this event may seem insignificant, I saw it as an example of being flexible and going with the flow. Typically when an instructor doesn't show up, the majority of the class bails after 10 or 15 minutes. In today's class however, about 80% of the class stayed and did their own workout for the full hour. I looked around the room and saw dedicated cyclists who were going to get their workout in, with or without an instructor. Instead of being annoyed and just throwing their hands up in the air over the situation, they accepted the situation as it was and made the best of it.

In life we are often thrown curve balls on a regular basis. Unfortunately no matter how hard we try to control things, there is very little we actually have control over. If we accept life as it is, instead of becoming frustrated because our expectations are not met, we will much happier.

A former boss once made the comment, "Colleen, you are very headstrong but what's interesting is that you are willing to bend." He went on to say that he hadn't met many headstrong individuals who were also flexible. I very much appreciated his feedback, especially since being flexible hasn't always come easily to me. As I have matured and my spiritual practice has deepened however, I find myself so much more at peace when I don't try to force life and become too attached to expectations. This does not mean I have become a complacent doormat, but instead it means I learned to let go what is out of my control.

The next time you find a curveball coming your way, ask yourself, "Can I catch this curveball and make the best of it?"

Colleen Canney is a Career, Life, and Wellness Coach based in Seattle, WA. She is available for coaching sessions either via phone or in-person. For more information, please visit www.colleencanney.com or contact Colleen at colleencanney@live.com.