Patience is a virtue

We woke up late, had to rush to get Bill Dear out the door in time. Needless to say I was cranky because my focus right off the bat was negative. 

Most days I wake up, slowly get moving, hum a little tune while I work, have a basically good day. 

Today I woke up cranky and had to take some time to get myself in the right mindset.  And I'm basically having a good day.  

That's not to say every day goes smooth. Things go wrong all the time. It just doesn't ruin my life anymore.  Stuff happens,  deal with it, learn from it,  move on to whatever is going right. If you focus on the bad then you're more likely to mess up, lash out, overreact,  stress.... and kaboom goes the whole day. 

No one wants that. 

I'm fortunate,  I've been practicing this positive focus long enough it's pretty much a habit now. 

My struggle is reacting without thinking.  I'm impulsive,  especially when emotionally driven.  It's a flaw, trust me. 

I say and occasionally do things I regret or would have handled differently.  Can't change the past though. 

I'm learning,  learning to breathe,  to pray, to pause. Reminding myself to take a breath before saying anything to anyone,  especially when I'm upset or excited. 

And it's not horrid, I don't fling insults or curse the day I was born. 

I just don't always say what needs to be said, or the best way to say it. 

"I wish you would check before you make plans " 

sounds much better than 

"why do you always do this?" 

One is a request,  the other, an attack. 

And it makes a big difference,  not only in the response you get back, but more importantly in how you make them feel. 

No one likes being put down or put on the defensive.  

No one. 

There was a time when I just didn't ever speak up to anyone about anything. Now I'm realizing there's an importance in being forthright and honest.  There's also a right and wrong way to do it.  

I'm on a learning curve.

Truth in love: Ephisians

Which goes back to the golden rule of doing unto others : Matthew 

The bible got a lot right. 

So that's where I'm at.

I'm off to make my breakfast and start my day.

Have a beautiful day and God bless.