It would be accurate to say I’ve never been one to make New Year’s resolutions. I know better than to take on something kind, generous, and positive for a whole year; or to promise never to put brown sugar on my cereal, walk four miles every day, or only check Face Book in the morning. I’m too flawed, too hyperactive, too human.
That being said, I’m working on an attitude resolution for 2016: do not complain about things in my life over which I have no control--such as the weather, the traffic, a poor meal at a restaurant, late deliver of the newspaper. Shut up unless there is something I can do about it, and then, DO IT.
The resolution goes further, however: do not talk about negative things that have happened, do not make them part of the story. Shut up unless the telling will make a definite difference in future outcomes.
I will try to follow this attitude resolution. I say try because I’ll forget or I’ll want to wallow in whatever isn’t working, or I’ll convince myself that there are exceptions. But with practice, life should improve, and that is the point. I believe that negativity begets negativity and criticism begets criticism, just as I believe that gratitude begets more gratitude, and love begets more love. If we don’t put hate into the world, it won’t be there. Conversely, if we put love into the world, it will be there.
This is not a new or original idea, but for me to be conscious not to talk about what isn’t working, not to tell the negative story nor criticize when nothing can be done to change things, is a shift of focus for me, a shift in what I say out loud, and thus what I think in my head. Less outward chatter begets less inward chatter.
I may become a less interesting person; after all, positive stories are boring. Since I’ve never been a storyteller nor a particularly interesting conversationalist, so why begin now?
That being said, I’m working on an attitude resolution for 2016: do not complain about things in my life over which I have no control--such as the weather, the traffic, a poor meal at a restaurant, late deliver of the newspaper. Shut up unless there is something I can do about it, and then, DO IT.
The resolution goes further, however: do not talk about negative things that have happened, do not make them part of the story. Shut up unless the telling will make a definite difference in future outcomes.
I will try to follow this attitude resolution. I say try because I’ll forget or I’ll want to wallow in whatever isn’t working, or I’ll convince myself that there are exceptions. But with practice, life should improve, and that is the point. I believe that negativity begets negativity and criticism begets criticism, just as I believe that gratitude begets more gratitude, and love begets more love. If we don’t put hate into the world, it won’t be there. Conversely, if we put love into the world, it will be there.
This is not a new or original idea, but for me to be conscious not to talk about what isn’t working, not to tell the negative story nor criticize when nothing can be done to change things, is a shift of focus for me, a shift in what I say out loud, and thus what I think in my head. Less outward chatter begets less inward chatter.
I may become a less interesting person; after all, positive stories are boring. Since I’ve never been a storyteller nor a particularly interesting conversationalist, so why begin now?