drama
This week I lost my purse. It had all the stuff your purse usually has in it - bank cards, credit card, driving licence, loyalty cards, stamps (how retro), photos and £50 cash. I was gutted.

Gutted I'd have to cancel all my cards. Gutted that I had cash on me when I rarely do.

Gutted that I actually couldn't remember what photos and sentimental things were in there.

After the initial annoyance disappeared I thought about who could possibly have found it. I decided to paint them in my mind as someone who was having a bad day. Someone who didn't know how they'd feed themselves that night and I decided I had a choice. I could curse the event and let myself be annoyed all week or I could just wish whoever found it really needed a break. That they needed the cash and it would make their week easier. That my misfortune was their lucky break. I felt instantly better.

It got me thinking about what we do with the little annoyances in our lives that we can let dominate our thinking and actions for the whole day. Sometimes more than just one day, one week, one month or even one year.

So this week I wanted to ask you - where do you choose to let your thinking go when things aren't working out as planned?

The beautiful part of my story is that as soon as I cancelled my cards and decided it was just 'stuff' that I could cope without I felt better. And then, like magic, I got the great reward of someone calling me to say they had found my purse and would keep it safe for me until I got there. I lost attachment to my wee pink purse with the purple dog on it along with everything it contained and it decided it wasn't done with me yet and found its way back to me.

I had a choice didn't I? I could have cried about the memories it contained, the cash I couldn't really afford to lose, the inconvenience of cancelling and having no bank cards or I could just shrug my shoulders and decide not to sweat the small stuff. The outcome would have been exactly the same. My stress levels however wouldn't have been.

As a great quote I've read many times says 'We can't control what happens to us, but we can control how we react to it.'

Our reaction is the only thing we really ever have isn't it? And no one else can ever have power over that. Whether it's the awful ex, the lost things, the spilled paint, the bashed car, the missed bus. You choose the power it will yield in your life. It's just a 'thing' and it has no power until you give it some.

Undoubtedly, our attitude towards the stuff that happens, the things said and the deeds done will have way more impact on our life than the events itself could ever yield.

It's like at the end of the Wizard of Oz when the good witch tells Dorothy she had the power all along. So do we. Maybe not about the events of our lives but certainly about the way we let them affect us and how we choose to carry them through our days and out into our lives.

This week I urge us all to make a conscious decision about how we react to some of the stuff that enters our worlds. And to choose whether we want to engage, enrage or ignore it.

Ultimately, you could even choose all three - the test will be if you can restrict your time with the first two parts.

Remember - you don't need to attend every drama you're invited to. Good luck not playing along.
Anne Hughes is on a mission to ignite the city of Glasgow and empower people, not only to see themselves more fully, but to recognise the impact they're having in the world. You can follow Anne on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/annehughesignite/ On Twitter @ignitebyanne and on Instagram @annehughesignite