Beyond 254

Year in Review

As I glanced over my posts for the last year, I noticed something. I realized how much I have grown and developed over the year. I read about the things that would bother or upset me in the past and I wondered why I let those situations annoy me. Don't get me wrong, I still experience things that annoy me, but they do not bother me like they did in the past. The things that have influenced me this year were: My Faith, positive books and making a conscious decision to change my outlook. In the beginning, the book by Joel Osteen "Your Best Life Now" really helped start the transition. My attitude started shifting at that point and it has been growing and developing ever since. An attitude transformation is a continuous process and I will always continue to grow and learn. I still have some areas to work on, but over time those areas will also improve. Finally, I realize that I feel stronger and more positive today versus this same time last year and all it took was making one step toward change.

Some Uplifting News for a Change

Over the last few months, the media has been reporting stories that perpetuate the negative energy of this country. Sometimes I feel that if a positive story dropped in their lap, the media probably would not cover it for fear of a ratings decrease. In my opinion, I feel that people want to hear something other than depressing news. Instead of focusing on all the stories of despair, they need to find people who have positive stories of their experience. People can learn from the positive steps that someone took to pull themselves out of disaster. The country needs to hear messages of hope, positivity and peace.

Your attitude during a difficult situation will help determine how long you will stay in that struggle. When I was laid off several years ago, my attitude was far from positive. I would slip in an out of depression, avoid contact with family and friends and feel sorry for myself. Since my judgment was clouded by all the negativity, I was not able to make good, sound and rational decisions. If I was in a better frame of mind, I would have reached out to people who could help me, instead of avoiding them due to the shame I was feeling. Also, I would have made better decisions about my living arrangements, instead of holding onto a city I did not care to live in. It took me over a year to find a job. Now that I look back, if I had a more positive attitude, I think I would have gotten out of that situation a lot sooner.

Tip of the day: If you have been laid off or going through a difficult situation. I would follow these steps to keep a positive attitude:

1. Minimize your exposure to the news - Only watch the news for 30 minutes to one hour a day. Once the stories of negativity start turn off the TV. 
2. Do not isolate yourself - Friends and family can help you through this situation. Only seek out the positive people in your life. Their positive energy will help uplift you. Avoid those negative family and friends; they will only make you feel worse.
3. Get out of the house - Go see a movie, show or visit a museum. Make sure you do something that will relax you and take your mind off of the situation.
4. Go to a house of worship - This is not the time to give up on your faith.
5. Rid yourself of the feelings of guilt and shame - You are not the only person that is going through this, so do not "beat yourself" up. Use this experience as a learning opportunity and you will discover that you are a stronger person because of it.