Posts by Pat:
Complaining is easy…
Complaining is easy. It’s as natural to us as breathing.
Complaining is describing something (an event, an experience, a person) negatively without any indication of next steps or plans to fix the problem. It requires little thinking and zero action. Whether it be whining about God, the government, the universe, slow Wi-Fi, the authorities, or traffic, we can always find something to complain about.
But what good has complaining ever done anyone in the long run? Sure, shaking our fist at the sky and venting our frsutrations can feel liberating in the moment, but has it ever changed our circumstances for the better, solved our problems or made us happier? I’m willing to bet the answer is no.
We don’t have to judge and complain about the circumstances or folks we see. We can choose to allow others to be who they are. We can allow the weather to be what it is.
It’s as simple as that.
- We could observe/accept/allow life to be what it is.
- We could release our expectations.
- We could change our perspective.
- We could let go of our judgments.
It is possible to live a life without complaining, criticizing, and condemning anything. And I find that it is worth attempting, even when I fall short.
I’m reminded of what Zig Ziglar said, “The more we complain about our problems, the more problems we will have to complain about.”
After all, we do know that what we focus on expands, don’t we?
It is always a choice. We choose our focus consciously or unconsciously.
I’m all for focusing on the roses, rather than the thorns!
So…
How do YOU respond?
Learning to respond rather than react can provide us with many benefits, especially peace of mind. I share three thoughts for you to ponder. Thought #1 Somtimes the water gets murky and the mud that is churned up happens in a way that is heated. We might express anger or others may express agression. But […]
My guru for today!
The ever-so memorable Dr. Seuss has shared lots of life lessons that make sense to me! Here’s some of my favorite quotes! (And I love how succinct he can be. After all, he did write “Green Eggs and Ham” with only 50 different words when challenged by his publisher!) “Writing for children is murder. A […]
Words are fun(ny)…
Words ARE fun and often also present a challenge… Which letter is silent in the word “Scent,” the S or the C? If you replace “W” with “T” in “What, Where, and “When” you get the answer to each of them. The word “swims” upside down is still “swims.” Why is the letter w, in […]
A favorite Zen parable…
The apprentice was always complaining and his aging Hindu master grew tired of his complaints. So one morning he sent the apprentice to get some salt. When the apprentice returned, the master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. “How does […]
Will you say yes or no?
According to Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do.” More directly, we are what we say yes to. Every second of every day, we are saying yes to something. Every time we do something, we say yes to that thing. Every time we hop on Facebook and begin scrolling, we’re saying yes. Every piece of […]
The power of your word…
Remember the old saying about “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me”? We do know that it is not true, don’t we..? We all have been hurt by the words of others, be they parents, partners, teachers, bosses, friends. And we all have hurt someone else, even our loved […]
Love the sun!
Summer has arrived, and to me this is a time of celebrating Life! Recent graduates are beginning their new lives and we’ve just recently experienced the summer solstice. (And it’s not yet too hot as we revel in the current warmth and sunshine.) I remember reading an article that talked about the power of one […]
He said what..?
If you know who Lao Tzu is, then you’ll recognize some of these quotes. Lao Tzu was an ancient Chinese philosopher and author of the famous book, The Tao Te Ching, about living aligned with simplicity, patience, and compassion. Here are some more of my favorite quotes. They give me food for thought! I’d be […]
Life is like Monopoly
Even the way we play the game Monopoly could be symbolic of life. First of all, we are going around a board. So…basically going around in circles. Life is a cycle. And the most powerful move in Monopoly/life isn’t mentioned in the rulebook. It’s the moment we realize it’s all just a game! the money’s […]