If it's not working, fix it

Wow...what a crazy month! There have been a lot of good moments (my husband was in the US for the first time in over a year...yeah!). Yet, there have been a lot of stressful and troubling moments as well, the most recent being my Dad needing emergency bypass surgery on his heart. It's an understatement to say that I'd like to fast forward to the "lighter" moments of 2009...that must be around the corner. (I don't think I can take much more.)

For all the troubles that the last month has offered, it's also provided much time for reflection. When all is said and done, I think the following principle offers most of the wisdom required to live a fulfilled life.

When some thing's not working, fix it
The role of "victim" is over played by many. Yes, we all at some point in our lives get the short end of the stick, whether that means someone treats us unfairly, sickness hits us, a family member or a friend, a job is lost, etc. It's acceptable to temporarily have a stunned reaction. We can be hurt, upset, ticked off, depressed, etc., but eventually (and hopefully sooner rather than later) we stand up for ourselves and take action.

I learned a long time ago that much of your environment and other people's emotions and actions you cannot control. The only thing that is within your "power" is to control your reactions to the facts of your situation. If you look at the facts, they can be empowering and transformative, offering you the guidelines required to move forward and giving you the necessary kick in the butt to change your situation.

I encourage everyone to do an audit of your life. Is there something in your life causing you to be disappointed, uncomfortable, or sad? Dissect the facts of that situation. What's happening? How can you change your reaction to that situation to regain a sense of happiness with yourself and a different perspective of the situation?

Challenges offer opportunities to overcome them. They offer opportunities for learning about yourself. You can choose to see the silver lining in everything that happens in life, good or bad. Or you can choose to be the "victim" and project a "whoa is me" type of attitude. I loose patience with the latter mentality pretty quickly and with all that has happened in the last month...well, I'm done. I'm reclaiming my happiness starting today...dealing with one thing at a time. Enough is enough! © 2008 - Brianna Sylver - All rights reserved