Don't fight it

• Each semester my department offers at least one course geared towards administrative assistants. A colleague suggested we drop the idea as these inevitably turned into gripe sessions, rather than valuable workshops, which were also rated very poorly. How about instead, I suggested, we offer a “Handling Your Challenges as an Administrative Assistant” session; sort of a facilitated, structured gripe session during which we get their challenges on the table and brainstorm some solutions. The result was an effective and highly regarded program this past semester.
• I was walking down the street with a bag on my shoulder that kept slipping. For one block, I kept stopping to push it back up. For the next three, I held the bag comfortably in the crook of my elbow without slowing down.

Two very different examples of the same concept: Don’t fight it.  Where can you just go with the energy that exists, rather than creating frustration by forcing something? I know there are numerous situations where you can’t just “go with the flow,” but I’m betting there are also some where you’ll realize some terrific benefits by embracing what is, rather than fighting it. Let me know what happens when you try.