If you think that life is easy. I'll say you are wrong. If you think that things will work as they should. I will say that you are wrong. If you think that people should always act in a rational and proper manner. I'll again say that you are wrong.
In this life there will be a great number of things that won't go according to plan. Things will break. Toes will be stubbed. Lego will be stepped on. People will break their word. Warranties will be void Cellphones will be broken and so many other things just won't go your way.
This world is broken but should you let it break you?
Today I had to do what should be a simple task. I wanted to add money to my virtual wallet (Maya) at the SM shopping center. I had a helpful cashier, I had money in my wallet, I had the proper slips filled out. Everything was done according to how it should be...
.....but they couldn't load my account. Their system was down.
So, I went to the mall customer service counter. Again, I waited in line. I filled out the right form I got everything ready and when I was front of the line I gave the cashier the form and the cash. Then I waited.....and waited......and was told they couldn't get it to work.
Which of course was very annoying because my Maya account is my primary was to load my cellphone which I needed to do to keep my internet active. Overall a big time waster and in the end I still didn't have money in my virtual wallet and my phone still needs a top-up.
Should I get mad?
To help my mood I decide to get a small ice cream cone. Everything is better with ice cream? Right?
Now I was with my young nephews and guess what. The kids cones were unavailable. I just had to laugh. The world was out to get me but with a smile and a laugh I just got a bigger cone and didn't let the world win on that one!
Or my coins.ph account. They did a system update. With the new update I have to reset my PIN #. Simple task, right? I just need to give them my email address to get a code AND my phone number to get an SMS and then I can reset my password. Well, I get my email code no problem. I enter my phone number and ..... nothing. So I reach out to customer service and am told that their system can't contact Canadian phone numbers. What is the work around. Well, I have to take a selfie with today's date handwritten, and send an email asking them to deactivate my old phone number, and get a new phone number which requires registering with ID, and as I have no signal where I am I have to go to town in the middle of a typhoon just to reset my crypto wallet password.
Should I get upset? I mean, its a problem with their system but I am the one who gets very inconvenienced.
When you are just trying to live your life and the incompetence of others, or corporate red tape, or network issues, or whatever goes wrong happens.....it is very frustrating. The first response is to get angry! Someone is making your life miserable and its not your fault. Someone is wasting your time or giving you needless hassle. Someone is certainly wronging you....it absolutely WILL happen.
**YOU ** have every right to get angry! But don't give in to that temptation.
In my life I view my happiness as a beautiful treasure. Happiness and contentment are jewels in my life worth holding onto. If those things are valuable I should protect them carefully.
I view the world as a thief which is constantly trying to steal my happiness and trying to steal my contentment. I understand that the world is always trying to steal from me. It is my job to not let it!
I cannot change that fact that incompetence or irritations will happen. I can't change the fact that bad things will come my way. However, I CAN choose whether or not I will let it make me angry, mad, sad, depressed or whatever emotion fits. I can CHOOSE to hold onto my happiness and contentment whatever comes my way. Even if my flight is cancelled, and I have to travel with 11 heavy bags on a crowded bus for 12 hours when a non-functional toilet...I can try to hold onto my joy and contentment. (See my previous actifit for details if you like).
Did I succeed? Not exactly. I was grumpy at the situation but I didn't lash our or get nearly as angry as most people would. How about today with the coins.ph and maya load issues? I just smiled and thanked the clerks at the counter. Not their fault and its not such a big problem that I want to lose my happiness over it.
Quote: Pastor C. Swindol
I have found that holding only my positive feelings is hard but it gets easier the most you practice it. At this point in life I can shake off an awful lot of stuff that would leave other people swearing and throwing a tantrum.
But I like the quote from Pastor Swindol. I cannot change what happens to me. I can choose how I react to it. I can choose to persevere. I can choose to retain my positive feelings. I can choose to act with integrity. In general I have found that to be a most useful tool in leading a better, happier, life.
Of course as Christian I should probably say follow the Golden Rule "Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself". Honestly though, if everyone shrugged off the inconveniences in life I'm almost certain that my job as a Pharmacist would be far more pleasant. I guess in a way I am following the Golden rule.
Then again, you may have other thoughts. Perhaps my viewpoint seems like being a doormat and letting people walk over you? Although I will say that I will let an awful lot slide....but if I ever decide to fight on something, well, I fight to win. However, that's a topic for a different post.
Thanks for reading,
Feel free to drop a comment if you like,
I love comments :)
