refocussing

The effort to stay positive is daily and ongoing. There are no shortage of distractions that can detract from positivity.

Pressures and expectations keep us running around, doing what we do ... but it's how we do it all that makes the difference. Take yesterday, for example ... Janice and I invited a few friends over for a pot luck dinner, to play some games and have a few laughs. It's nice to do entertaining occasionally ... an opportunity to socialize (and a good motivator to do some much needed cleaning around the house).

I had a to - do list to attend to before the guests arrived that included running around to get a haircut, picking up groceries and a prescription, and to get a few things from my car which is in the garage for service. Ah, yes - my car. Yesterday it was towed from the parking lot of the school I was working at out in Barhaven to the shop ... my brakes has seized. The shop has informed me that my car will be in the shop for a week, while parts are acquired from far away ... and the bill? About $1600 for new brakes all 'round. I am grateful we have two cars, and I have the resources to foot the bill. Hey - if you own a vehicle, it costs money. At least the tow was free ... thanks to my CAA membership.

Anyway, so I'm out and about ... watching the clock, because I also need to get back home to take care of a few other things on the to - do list at home before guests arrive. Saturdays are not the best days to go to get a haircut if you are in a hurry ... they are a little busier, and odds are pretty good you may have to wait a while.

Sure enough ... I did have a bit of a wait - about an hour. I chose to suck it up, and not be frustrated. I decided that I would not give in to pressure, let go and just chill until I was done here. I relaxed, read the paper, played a little sudoku on my PDA and refused to obsess about being without my car for a week and having to shell out all that cash for the brakes. I focussed on my goals for the day and decided that this was going to be an enjoyable, fun, happy and productive day.

That's such a powerful tool ... the carrot that dangles in front of us ... keeping us on track, motivated and headed to success. Little successes and big ones. Keep your eyes on the prize.

I got the haircut, grabbed my stuff from the car at the shop, popped by my favourite supermarket for groceries to find it overwhelmed with shoppers. The parking lot was jammed, and I decided to not accept any stress here, and go elsewhere for what I needed. Life is full of alternatives, and going somewhere else would be smarter.

In the end, I did my grocery shopping, got my haircut, grabbed my stuff from my car, picked up the prescription and made it home to take care of the rest of my to - do list. Janice did a great job of cleaning and setting things up, the guests came over, and the evening was a wonderful success.

Life has no shortage of opportunities to make us angry, unhappy, frustrated, pressured, anxious and stressed ... we have the power within us to refocus, and stay positive. Spending time frustrated, angry and stressed does nothing good. There are some things we have control over, and some things we don't, so there is no point in reacting negatively to events beyond our control ... all that does is make it worse.

Keep your eyes on the prize.