Perspective

The way we look at things determines if we're going to have a happy life or a disappointing life. Are you a half full glass person or a half empty glass person? In the last two days I've talked to friends who were struggling or stressing over what is going on in their lives. The thing was, they didn't need to be worrying. They were looking at things with the wrong perspective.

Nathan and I will be moving into our own place in a month or so and we have almost nothing to move in with. We've been traveling the last couple years and so we've sold or given away most of our furniture. I could be stressing about this but instead I choose to look at what we do have, like a tv and tv stand, a bed, maybe a couch and a roof over our heads and running water. We will slowly get the things we need but it's not life or death. It's not something we need to get upset about. I know in my early 20's I would probably have been stressing but I've learned to take things in stride and not let the "little things" in life get to me. My mom always said "In the scheme of life, it's not that big." It drove me nuts when she said this when I was upset about something because she was minimizing what I thought or felt. At least that's how I felt. But really she's right. Look at your situation and ask yourself "In the scheme of life, is this really a big deal?"

A friend on facebook had commented that her car needed worked on and how aggravated she was. I totally agree that car repairs are frustrating but try to look at it as, at least you have the money to fix it or at least you have a car to fix and you're not walking everywhere. There is usually a way to look at things in a better light. If you have to work 7 days in a row, at least you have a job and you're making money to pay your bills. If your children are acting up, at least you have children to love and care for because another family may not be able to have kids. If your spouse is working overtime for the third weekend in a row, at least he's providing for your family. If you just can't seem to get ahead, at least you're not behind. Try to find the silver lining.

Life isn't easy and tough times will come but how you look at your situation determines how you'll get through it and how you'll bounce back. Look at what you do have and be thankful for those things. There is always someone out there with less.