2012

I actually have a New Year's resolution that I plan to stick to this year.

Lately, I noticed I had been increasingly negative towards almost everything. Any little thing that was out of place or that wasn't done the way I preferred things to be done, would set me off in an instant. My reactions mostly consisted of snarky remarks followed by a quick temper. I got no satisfaction from it, just embarrassment and the inability to apologize. My boyfriend was the only exception I made. If I even hinted at being short with him I made sure to apologize profusely afterwards. I could always vent my frustrations to him since my anger seemed to stem from a build up of all the little things going wrong, backed by the big picture of disappointment I felt towards myself.

And then I realized I have so much to be happy about. The love of my life dropped everything he had and moved in with me, a girl he had been dating for merely four months. I get to hang out with my boyfriend/best friend almost all the time. I have a crappy job but at least I have some money coming in. I have the opportunity to get a better job. And I'm surrounded by good, new friends. Isn't that enough?

I also read a quote online that inspired me to take a more optimistic and friendlier outlook on life.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company...a church...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes. - Charles R. Swindoll 

My New Year's Resolution: No matter what happens around me I will try to look at the positive side of things. I will react positively and embrace the challenge or obstacle. I will appreciate what I have and try to give more. I will not succumb to my duality. Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.