There is one little thing that can make you happy, or unhappy. And it all depends on how you choose to toy with it…

You know those days when you don’t seem to have anything positive to say?

Your conversations begin with a simple, innocent hello, shortly followed by one thing wrong after another. Maybe it’s the weather, the traffic, the distance of your commute, your job, the people you work with or your home life; but nothing is right.

You don’t mean to complain, but when life gets on top of you, not being vocal about it is practically impossible. Of course, you do your best to keep it in check, but suddenly you catch yourself complaining and the thought hits you. “Oh no! I’ve become one of those people. I’m a complainer!”

The One Little Thing That Can Make You Happy or Unhappy

“Reality is what we take to be true. What we take to be true is what we believe. What we believe is based upon our perceptions. What we perceive depends upon what we look for. What we look for depends upon what we think. What we think depends upon what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. what we take to be true is our reality.” ~Gary Zukav

When I was teaching, I would sometimes complain for hours about the review needed to adequately prepare for a class. I would pace. I would stress. I would pity myself. And yes, I would occasionally let out a few expletives. When all was said and done, I would have spent half a day in worry, procrastination, and dread.

Being someone who values their time, this frustrated me to no end. I am talking the hair pulling, eye rolling, freak-out kind of frustration. I am sure the stress of it took a couple of days, if not weeks off my life. Here I was, wasting time fretting over the preparation for a job I loved to do when I could have just prepped for the class and afterward gone out for a run, bike ride, or anything else that I chose—an observation that further frustrated me.

Eventually, I would begrudgingly prep for the course, but it was always a chore that, because of my attitude, took much longer than necessary.

Until one day I decided I would stop making prepping for a course difficult. I recognized I was a complainer and saw myself as a victim, instead of someone who was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work.

Once I shifted my thinking to being grateful for being selected to stand up in front of a group and pass on valuable information, I was able to prep for future classes with gratitude and in less than half a day I previously needed and complained about.

Remember, if you are criticizing, you are not being grateful. If you are blaming, you are not being grateful. If you are complaining, you are not being grateful. ~Rhonda Byrne

In the next post, I will share with you a list of 5 great ways to give up complaining and boost your positivity.

Are your perceptions and expectations causing you to be happy or unhappy? Share your “secrets” by commenting below 🙂

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