There are certain things that I hear coming out of my mouth that surprise me.
I’m not going to talk about the embarrassing things. Or the ornery things. 🙂 Those things might make for an entertaining post, but it would probably detract from the awesomeness of the quote I am sharing today.
But there are other things…the type of things my mother or church teacher might have said to me when I was growing up. Things that sounded so ordinary and boring back then. Things like, “Be more grateful.” “Don’t listen to what the other kids say.” And “Treat other people the way you want to be treated.”
Boring! I’ve heard it a million times!
But wait…
Fast forward 30 years. I’ve got some life experience under my belt. And guess what? Those ordinary, “boring” concepts are starting to look better all the time. In fact…dare I say it? They are actually sounding kind of wise.
So now when I tell my kids they should be more grateful, I get a look from them that I recognize. It involves the rolling of the eyes, the loud sign. And as if by intuition, I read their thoughts:
She is so not cool.
She just doesn’t understand.
Not this again!
But some day they will be adults who have much more to do than they possibly have time for. They will feel pulled in so many directions, they won’t know where to start. They just might lose a little bit of perspective, and start to resent the very things that bring them joy. When that day comes, they are going to love this quote:
I knew you would.
So what’s stressing you out? Your job? Kids? Home? Responsibilities? These are all things you have worked hard for. You might even call them blessings. And sometimes blessings come with strings attached. There is a little bit of management that has to happen with every achievement you make. The trick is to look at a little differently.
So what if this holiday season we try a little experiment?
During the hustle and bustle, when we feel the stress begin to creep in, let’s change tactics. How about thinking of two or three reasons you are grateful for the very thing that is stressing you out? Perspective is everything. Change the way you look at it, and you’ll change the way you feel. That’s when the magic happens. The feelings of “stressed” begin to transform into feelings of “blessed,” and you become a happier gal.
Are you in? Ready to try it? Please commit by entering a comment below. Then come back and tell us how it went
Great idea: focus on how we have more abundance than we realize instead of getting mired in the b.s. of the race for holiday (and every day!) perfection. Blessed my stressed! My new mantra.
Thanks Kim! Perspective is everything!