Choose your attitude

Are there days when you just don't feel well? You don't know why you don't feel well, but you just don't. There may be some psychological reasons why you feel bad. It's hard for you to know or to decipher. What do you do?

When I find myself feeling negative, for known or unknown reasons, I assess my inner thoughts. I try to find out if I have any negative thoughts, such as "Life is not fair", "I'm a bad person", or "I'm being taken advantage of". If I find any negative thoughts, I will neutralize them, and attempt to look at things from a different perspective. Metaphorically, I will focus on the part of the glass that is half full instead of on the part of the glass that is half empty.

If things are pretty bad realistically, I will take the long view. I will view life in terms of eternity. Does it really matter with what I'm going through now if my life is viewed in the context of eternity. I will also take a comparative view. How does my life compare with those who are in worse shape than me.

Once I have dealt with my negative thinking, I will then choose my attitude. I will decide on how I want to face my world. I may not feel happy, but I will choose to be joyful. I may not feel appreciated, but I will choose to be thankful. I may not feel satisfied, but I will choose to be grateful.

I may have little or no control over how I'm being treated, or perceived. However, I do have control over how I react to my circumstances. I have the choice to react to my situation anyway I want. I can choose to react negatively, or positively. It's all up to me. It may not be easy, but with training, it gets easier.

Watch the movie, "To Live", by director Zhang Yimou, and you'll realize that we may not be in control, but we can decide on how to live in spite of being in an environment that is out of our control.