Life Lessons

I like to control things. I tend to feel frustrated if I can't control people or circumstances. This can lead me to feel frustrated at work because there's a whole bunch of situations and people I can't control.

Have you ever noticed the more you try to control people or situations, the more irritated you get? For some reason they don't seem to get it that you know better...you know everything...you're perfect and they aren't. Or at least that's what you think.

Work can be challenging if we make it challenging. It depends on the attitude we approach it with. Either it can make us better or reveal the areas we need to develop. People we encounter in our work day or even on the roads as we drive to and from work are our teachers. Until we learn the lessons, we will continue to repeat the situations until we get it right.

So what are these lessons we're to learn? Maybe it's refraining from judging someone or some situation in a negative way. Maybe someone in your workplace has the opposite personality or viewpoint as you and you can't for the life you of you fathom how they can't see that your way of doing things or your opinions are "right" and theirs is "wrong."

Could the lesson be allowing that person to be who they are and accepting they do things differently or see things differently? Sometimes the lesson is compassion. Sometimes it's openess and non-resistance. Sometimes it's forgiveness and extending grace even though the person may not deserve it.

Whatever you give you get. If you give negativity even through your thoughts, it comes back to you like a boomerang. It may not come back to you through the person you're thinking negatively about, but it will come back to you in some way. It's a law of life.

So, if you want more out of life, out of your job, out of your relationships, it's simple: give more. Stop trying to control, let it go and focus on giving. Give more enthusiasm. Give more kindness. Give more love and positive energy with no thought of being recognized. Give more even when you don't feel like it.

I challenge you to try this for a day, a week, or a month and see how this changes your world.