Last spring I was walking in a park. A short distance ahead of me
was a
mom and her three-year-old daughter. The little girl was holding on
to a
string that was attached to a helium balloon.

All of a sudden, a sharp gust of wind took the balloon from the
little girl.

I braced myself for some screaming and crying.

But, no! As the little girl turned to watch her balloon go skyward,
she
gleefully shouted out, "Wow!"

I didn't realize it at that moment, but that little girl taught me
something.

Later that day, I received a phone call from a person with news of
an
unexpected problem. I felt like responding with "Oh no, what should
we do?"
But remembering that little girl, I found myself saying, "Wow,
that's
interesting! How can I help you?"

One thing's for sure - life's always going to keep us off balance
with its
unexpected problems. That's a given. What's not preordained is our
response.

We can choose to be frustrated or fascinated.

No matter what the situation, a fascinated "Wow!" will always beat a
frustrated "Oh, no."

So the next time you experience one of life's unexpected gusts,
remember
that little girl and make it a "Wow!" experience.
The "Wow!" response always works.