Change Yourself and Change the World
| October 4, 2012 | Filled under Uncategorized |
Over the last several years I have learned some hard lessons. I have grown a lot and because of this my views have changed. This hasn’t gone over well with some people in my life. Some not very nice things have been said to me and behind my back. I’m a sensitive person and take these kinds of things pretty hard. Just the other day there was some drama that left me emotionally pretty drained.
This picture captures my mood the other day.
After these kinds of things I tend to take time to reflect on what happened. I try to think about what I could have done differently, because let’s face it, even if we didn’t do anything wrong or to warrant mistreatment, we can often make a situation better or worse depending on how we react.
One thing that I have been thinking about, because of this, is the fact that if others impact my mood so much, I’m likely impacting others as well. I want my impact on the world to be a positive one. I know it won’t always be, I’m human and some people will never like me. And that’s fine, there are people I don’t like, many are great people, we just don’t mesh and that’s okay.
Something I try to live by is Gandhi’s quote “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. … We need not wait to see what others do.” I of course try to follow this as far as the environment goes. I try to lead by example. Once I watched a lady litter, I could have easily chewed her out or made some sarcastic comment but instead I went over, picked it up and put it in the trash. I honestly didn’t think she would even noticed, but she did. She was terribly embarrassed and apologized for me having to pick up after her. I believe this had a positive impact on her life and will make her think before littering again.
Sometimes I think we have this idea that we have to do something big to make a difference but often it’s the little things that stick with people. Simple things like waiting a little longer so you can hold a door for an elderly couple, returning a cart for someone at the grocery store, helping a mom get her stroller down some stairs, and sometimes even just a friendly smile or hello can brighten someone’s day.
We all get wrapped up in everything we have going on and end up rushing around and often forget to do these little things. It’s amazing how good it can feel to slow down for a minute and think “what can I do to make someone else’s day better?” It’s hard to not be happy and have a better day when you know you have made someone else’s day better. It’s like a two for one sale.
As we near both the holidays and the election, we will likely find ourselves frustrated, stressed, and rushed. I urge all of us (this is a blog to myself as well!) to slow down and think of others. We can all find time for something. Somedays all you can manage may be to stop for just a moment and pray for/send good thoughts (whatever you do) to someone you know is having a bad day. Or send a quick text to someone saying you are thinking of them. It’s always nice to know people are thinking of you and with texting and email, it’s easy to let someone know. After my tough day the other day, having some friends tell me they cared, were there for me, and loved me, meant the world to me. A sweet friend even wrote a heartfelt note on my Facebook and quickly turned my sad tears to happy tears, it changed my whole day.
I would love to hear your positive stories, big or little, of how you made a difference in someone’s life, or how someone made a difference in your life. You can either leave a comment, email me privately, or write a blog and post the link below. Let’s put some positive vibes out into the universe, I think it needs it right now! Peace and love to you all!
What an inspiring post.and thought provoking post. I also believe that we can only be made to fell how we allow ourselves to feel. Our happiness cannot be dictated by anyone.