Every morning I say to God, “Allow me to be the best version of myself today,” and then I walk out into the world where most of the people apparently didn’t have the same conversation with the big man upstairs. And even when I am not the example that I wish to be in the world, I can start my day over again. I have choices.
It is so interesting to me that I spent years, tallying my bad days when all I would have to do is decide that I wanted to have a good day. Of course, life isn’t always delightful, but if you allow circumstances to affect how you present yourself to the world, then you might need to come with a warning label.
I used to take everything personal. If you ignored me, then you must be mad at me. If you avoid me, then I must have done something. Like a curse lifted, I began to shed that overwhelming feeling that everyone’s emotions were a direct result of something I had done. Not only is that egotistical – not everything is about me – but it is also the realization that I don’t have all the information.
There are people I have been friends with for a very long time that still do things that inadvertently feel unkind. It took me years to figure out that many times this is the way that they process whatever is going on in their lives. Sometimes they put a wall up. Sometimes their discomfort comes across sideways in an angry fashion. However it appears, their first thought isn’t about hurting others, it is simply them trying to get through a situation.
Lord knows there are times when I am short or cross with the people I love simply because I am walking through the embers of hell. For me, that isn’t how I want to treat others. I make the decision everyday that I will do my very best to represent the person that I long to be. The individual that can live a life full of bliss even when I am being giving lots of opportunities to learn. It isn’t perfect and sometimes it is messy, but once you shift your attitude from “I can’t be happy today because I have this, this, and this going on” to “Well, I don’t have any control over what is going on in my life, so I choose to be happy” then you have conquered the beast.
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