Daily Gratitude: Which soul do you want to be? Don’t you want to enjoy things and people you love? When we complain and moan about stuff, it diminishes the energy we have to love things. In contrast, putting lots of energy into love seems to simply generate more energy. Isn’t that a better way to feel and live? Are the things we complain about things we can do anything about? If so then stop complaining and take whatever action you need to in order to fix or change it. If the answer is “no, there is nothing you can do about it”, then stop complaining and go find something you enjoy. You’re not harming the thing/person you’re upset with but it is harming you with all that negative energy. Is that your intent or desire? Probably not. Next time you start to complain, stop and think about how you feel (anger and hurt) and how you’d like to feel (indifference perhaps). Remember a stoic rule: “If something has already happened, it is not under your control now; if something is not under your control, it is nothing to you.”

Daily Gratitude: More quotes to hopefully cement this concept in your mind. Each of us can control our peace of mind. It is within our power since it’s a feeling and we can take charge of our emotions. Have you ever seen someone who just amazes you when you see how calm they are in the face of trouble? Until I understood that this all was under my control, I couldn’t figure it out. And now that I’ve calmed my nervous system a lot, I am more able to pause before responding (which used to just be an automatic reaction) and think about how I want to feel. I ask myself “do I really want to feel crappy because of this tiny little bleep on the screen?” And usually the answer is no I don’t want to feel upset. It’s weird but i no longer like how it makes me feel. In the past I don’t think I even noticed a difference. Paying attention to my body and my nervous system has enabled me to notice the difference. Start with small things and see if you can keep from getting upset. If not, don’t worry. At least you accomplished the first step – being aware. Nothing that’s important comes overnight. Keep working work it. You will be glad you did.