One of the mentalities that I have engraved into my skull the deepest is that it is utterly pointless to fret and worry about the things that bother you but that you cannot control. To put it simply, to be more negative than positive will in no way help you become mentally mature and healthy.
When you curse the clouds hovering over your city for pouring rain on you, do they magically disappear? When you get angry enough to punch your computer for screwing up, does the virus go away? When you sulk in misery of how ugly you are, how much of a loser you are, how unintelligent you are, do the problems fix themselves? No.
Ladies and <mostly> gentlemen, time is valuable. The power of the human mind is valuable. A good mood and mindset is valuable and powerful. So why throw them to waste when you complain and allow emotion to control your actions? Instead of yelling at the paper boy who throws the paper in your lawn instead of on your porch, why don't you try to be productive or at least don't waste your time? Ask him if he can be more careful so you don't have to walk through the wet grass in your slippers at 7 AM. Sure, he might blow you off, but is the situation any worse than it would have been?
This does not only apply to those situations in which you are overcome by negative emotion because of something happening to you. Is there a point in worrying about a murder 2 states away? Your odds of being murdered are negligable. You probably don't know the person. It won't change your life at all if you worry about it. There's practically nothing you can do to fix the situation. You cannot benefit from it. You're only using it for entertainment, and entertainment doesn't bring anything to the table. There are plenty of things you can do to entertain yourself AND benefit. Sports are a great way to do that, they can be fun and you can stay in shape/healthy. If you enjoy your profession, you're set.
The only way I can see the average person getting something out of pointing out the world's flaws is conversation. It's always easy to say "did you hear about the guy who killed his wife last week?" But remember, there are just as many good things to point out as bad things. Just keep your eyes open.
Not only can you be more productive, but you will enjoy the world much more if you control yourself and refrain from shedding a negative light on everything. This is a great first step to learning self control because you see immediate results which become an incentive to learn it. Do not kid yourself, the best decisions are made with logic, not your gut.
So the next time you feel yourself getting angry at the mayor for giving a criminal a break, or find yourself in front of the TV watching a 2 hour special about school shootings, ask yourself if you have anything to gain from it other than entertainment. If not, consider what you can do in place of them.
These things may sound insignificant, but they add up to quite a bit when you go about your day with them on your mind.
When you curse the clouds hovering over your city for pouring rain on you, do they magically disappear? When you get angry enough to punch your computer for screwing up, does the virus go away? When you sulk in misery of how ugly you are, how much of a loser you are, how unintelligent you are, do the problems fix themselves? No.
Ladies and <mostly> gentlemen, time is valuable. The power of the human mind is valuable. A good mood and mindset is valuable and powerful. So why throw them to waste when you complain and allow emotion to control your actions? Instead of yelling at the paper boy who throws the paper in your lawn instead of on your porch, why don't you try to be productive or at least don't waste your time? Ask him if he can be more careful so you don't have to walk through the wet grass in your slippers at 7 AM. Sure, he might blow you off, but is the situation any worse than it would have been?
This does not only apply to those situations in which you are overcome by negative emotion because of something happening to you. Is there a point in worrying about a murder 2 states away? Your odds of being murdered are negligable. You probably don't know the person. It won't change your life at all if you worry about it. There's practically nothing you can do to fix the situation. You cannot benefit from it. You're only using it for entertainment, and entertainment doesn't bring anything to the table. There are plenty of things you can do to entertain yourself AND benefit. Sports are a great way to do that, they can be fun and you can stay in shape/healthy. If you enjoy your profession, you're set.
The only way I can see the average person getting something out of pointing out the world's flaws is conversation. It's always easy to say "did you hear about the guy who killed his wife last week?" But remember, there are just as many good things to point out as bad things. Just keep your eyes open.
Not only can you be more productive, but you will enjoy the world much more if you control yourself and refrain from shedding a negative light on everything. This is a great first step to learning self control because you see immediate results which become an incentive to learn it. Do not kid yourself, the best decisions are made with logic, not your gut.
So the next time you feel yourself getting angry at the mayor for giving a criminal a break, or find yourself in front of the TV watching a 2 hour special about school shootings, ask yourself if you have anything to gain from it other than entertainment. If not, consider what you can do in place of them.
These things may sound insignificant, but they add up to quite a bit when you go about your day with them on your mind.
just wondering. Keep it up.
