What To Do When You’re Having a Bad Weekfeatured

I just got a ticket. A beautiful $51 ticket. I parked where I could by my gym since it does not have sufficient parking. I have also been dealing with a broken car AC in the middle of a beautiful Orange County heat wave.

Life could be better, but it’s not. Life could be worse, but it’s not.

After I got the ticket, I was a little bummed. After I realized my AC didn’t work, I was a bit frustrated. The old me would think it’s the end of the world. The old me would just be mad and mean for days, but guess what? Not today!

If a ticket and a broken AC are the biggest problems I have, life isn’t that bad! These two things are superficial and circumstantial.  I am lucky I work hard to pay for circumstances such as these and I am lucky to have so much more than monetary means.

The minute I got the ticket, I immediately switched my attitude from being bummed to being GRATEFUL. I thought, Wow, I am lucky to be part of such an amazing gym community. I am so grateful for all that I have that the silly parking ticket lost its importance the minute I walked into the gym.

When it comes to the AC, who even cares?! It is a damn luxury to have refrigerated air blowing in your face all day! The fact that I am even writing this makes me feel like a spoiled brat. People have much bigger issues than the silly things I have faced this week.

It is definitely all about perspective.

So what am I grateful for? My family is happy and healthy. My friends love me as much as I love them. I just bought a beautiful home (that is mine and only mine). I have a partner that respects and adores me. I even have a beautiful garden to tend to each morning! I have also accomplished much more than I ever thought possible before the age of 30. I mean, my list goes on and on.

This week doesn’t seem like the easiest week, but it need not factor into my list of blessings either. I have so much more to be thankful for than I have to complain about. Sure, little crappy things can change my mood, but I will never let them change my attitude about life.

The bigger picture is what matters. My mission in life is what matters. My family is what matters. All the love in my heart is what matters. It’s easy to get lost in negative thoughts and obsess over the things that aren’t going well in our lives. But what about all the good stuff?! Why is it that we rather make a list of complaints than make a list of blessings we are grateful for?

It’s easy to be ungrateful, it’s easy to blame external factors when things go wrong… it’s much harder to list all the beauty in life because we so often take it for granted.

Let’s all remember to appreciate everything we have. We only get one life, so let’s make the best of it. Let’s be kind to everyone we encounter because we might never know their journey but we can greatly impact it through gesture. Let’s laugh at parking tickets and parking lot fender benders, because without them tomorrow wouldn’t be better than yesterday. Let’s celebrate the moments we get with loved ones and look forward to creating new ones.

Let’s forget about the small stuff and focus on the big stuff. Let’s generate more positivity by having gratitude in our hearts and sharing it with the world.

Love Deeply and Forever,

Karen

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