Joy
I have been a complainer lately. It starts out subtle- I think complaining thoughts, maybe mutter under my breath. And then slowly I allow my mood to creep into conversations with others until I am officially not fun to engage with any longer. And when I really stop an analyze it: I have very little to complain about. I have a healthy family, good friends, food, a home, etc.
But it’s been one of those months. The kind where it feels like no matter what you do, no matter what the motivation, the effort, the circumstance, the outcome isn’t good. It’s the feeling of drowning, over and over and over again. Sometimes life just throws us into these seasons: a time when life is just going to be tough for a while.
And, as I complain and as I consider what the past few weeks have looked like for me, I’ve discovered that I wasn’t helping myself much with the attitude. Am I saying it’s wrong to struggle? No. Am I saying that feelings of disappointment and loss aren’t valid? No. Am I saying that a poor attitude makes the situation worse? Yes. I allowed discouragement and circumstances I disliked to convince me of lies. That it wasn’t worth it. That I should throw in the towel. That I was worthless. That no matter what effort I put forth, I wasn’t going to make a difference.
I am sure right about now you are wondering why you chose to read this uplifting blog post. It gets better I promise. So, as I considered my attitude the past few weeks, and considered what posture I wanted going forward, it became apparent to me (once again—I am sorry I have to keep learning this lesson) that my attitude is the ONE thing I can control. I needed to be reminded that if circumstances cannot be changed, well then I need to change. I need to choose to seek out encouragement. I need to choose to step back from things that might not be healthy. To choose to have a joyful heart. If I approach the day with a joyful heart, one that is grateful for what I have been given, who I am, and what I am capable of, then circumstances will not shake me.
I am choosing Joy today.
* Note, I apologize for my lack of posts the past few weeks. Part of my unfortunate circumstances was extensive computer issues. I am glad to be back!
Comments
4 Responses to “Joy”Speak Your Mind
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Wonderful post, Meghan. I think that most people can relate to your having to return to lessons you have already learned. That’s part of being human. I, myself, like to say that I hope to be inconsistently consistent, but I am more likely consistently inconsistent. I hope this makes sense to you.
The point is, old habits are not just hard to break – they are almost impossible to break. That’s why we must repeatedly learn anew those things we have decided are more beneficial to us than the habits that are already entrenched in our psyche. We can’t eliminate or hope to avoid our bad habits. Therefore, we must adopt a new habit to help change how we react to the bad ones (such as recognizing our detrimental attitude and then embracing a new, more beneficial one to take its place).
Your attitude in this post reminds me of a wonderful quote from one of my all-time heroes, Eleanor Roosevelt, who put it simply, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
Amen.
What a great blog Meghan, I too have been of the same attitude, and have come to the same realization as you have. It’s amazing how small of a world this is – and how many people go through the same type of things! Happy Monday !
Meghan,
Thank you for your article and thoughts. I have been in the same mode lately and my nickname is “Sunshine” at work. So, no one is used to me being grumpy or complaining. But the last few weeks for me too, have been nothing but one problem or issue after another and no matter how much I try it seems like things just aren’t going right. It’s difficult at times like this to maintain a positive light..but as you stated…it is the ONE thing we CAN control. So…maybe what I’ve been doing may shed a little light for you too…I was so mad at myself the other day for complaining and I figured I had nothing else to lose so…I told myself from now on as I’m driving to work I have to remind myself of 5 things that I am grateful for…Now, everyday when I get in my car instead of turning on my stereo or radio, I say outloud 5 things that I am grateful for and I make sure I’m smiling when I say them. It’s made a diffence in my attitude as I start my day! Good luck and may this little “Season” be a short lived one for both of us.
Best regards,
Christine
I am so glad that you appreciated the post! I feared that I wrote the post for incredibly selfish reasons and only I could get something out of it! I am glad to see that it reasonated with others! Thank you for the encouragement!