Obviously, I'm REALLY feeling the India.Arie CD again.. it has once again, inspired me to blog.
I've been noticing a lot of the people that I'm surrounded by being consumed by "STUFF". That "stuff" is personal and/or work related. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't feed those "monsters" much at all.. in fact... if it were a pet, PETA or some other animal rights organization would have been called on me for starving the poor animal to death.
I've noticed people being stuck on an issue they're dealing with. Don't get me wrong, i have my moments where I am "stuck" but I don't stay stuck for too long... You just have to breathe and let it go - move on.
There's a quote that my friend Alli has on her email... It's VERY cliche (due to overuse).. but appropriate. "Be the change you wish to see in the world", said by Ghandi.
When you're surrounded by negativity... it's so easy to be negative. I might joke about things to cope... but I don't like to focus on negative things. I spoke to another friend last night about all the negatives happening around her. I mentioned to her that if you feed into the negativity, everything you ever see will instantly be something negative (of course I can't remember exactly what I said.. but that's close). There's a positive side to everything - and that's what I like to look for.
A staff member recently quit for personal reasons and everyone seems to be down in the dumps about it. but in my eyes, he was not the strongest in the bunch - so is it really something so bad that he left? I see a positive spin being, Now you have the opportunity to hire someone with the qualifications you're truly looking for. The positive spin for him is that he can go and "handle his business".
In regard to the madness happening around us, there is still much to be grateful for. I know it seems very Pollyanna-ish.. but it's the truth. You can feed the "monster" and help it grow and eventually eat away at you.. or you can choose to feed your soul.
This morning I was listening to India Arie's song, "This Too Shall Pass"... It caused me to write this bulletin that turned into a blog.
There's another India Arie song that comes to mind as well. "I Choose" is the title.. and we wake up everyday with a decision to make.. Actually.. MANY decisions to make. One of those decisions is how our attitudes will be each day.
Make the day work for YOU!
I Choose- (snippet of the lyrics)
Because you never know where life is going to take you
And you can't change where you've been -
But today, I have the opportunity to choose.
Here I am now looking at 30
and I've got so much to say.
Gotta get this off of my chest,
I've gotta let it go today.
I was always too concerned
about what everybody would think.
But I can't live for everybody -
I gotta live my life for me.
I have reached a fork in the road of my life and
Ain't nothing gonna happen unless I decide.
And I choose
To be the best that I can be.
I choose
To be authentic in everything
I do.
My past don't dictate who I am.
I choose.
I've been through some painful things
I thought that I would never make it through.
Filled up with shame
From the top of my head
To the soles of my shoes.
I've put myself in so many chaotic circumstances.
By the grace of God
I've been given so many second chances.
But today I've decided to let it all go.
I'm dropping these bags,
**I'm making room for my joy.
