Tuesday March 18, 2014 #610

“Life can either be accepted or changed. If it is not accepted, it must be changed. If it cannot be changed, then it must be accepted.”

~Winston Churchill

I don’t know about you, but listening to close friends and family members complain about their situation without any effort to change it (or accept it and move on) is exhausting and frustrating.  I specifically mention close friends and family because for anyone else, I can just ignore it and move on myself.  I can and do make that choice.  But for people I truly care about, I am invested by choice in their lives and want them to experience joy and happiness.  I know for myself that when I find myself wallowing in anger, self-pity, or sadness it is time to choose.  I can accept or change.  Change my perspective, or take action to change a situation or help someone else change theirs.  If change is not possible, I can choose to accept.

So, back to others who complain yet take no action to accept or make changes.  I choose this:  I will accept others for how they are feeling, help when help is desired (and not when it isn’t), and focus on taking actions that keep me moving forward.  In this way I focus on what I can control (myself) and lower my frustration about others’ attitudes.