Swallowing a Big Pill.........

I found myself having to swallow a big pill today, one better known as pride. This was not an easy task for me. This particular pill has been sitting and staring at me for many years and today was the day that I was going to have open up and swallow. It was all inevitable. I've known for a few days that this was coming up today. I've been contemplating the many ways in which I was going to have to take this pill and in the end just closed my eyes and reluctantly went for it.

I thought this would be a good opportunity to share my thoughts on prideful emotions. I can, at times, be a bit stubborn and headstrong. I also tend to be very protective over my person in the sense that I do not take kindly to what I view as disrespect or being under appreciated. I know this about myself and therefore try to craft my surroundings as to not have to deal with these issues. The problem, for me, arises when I am not able to have control over them.

I share this with you so that if you, like me, have a bit of a stubborn streak, can find some kind of acceptance and peace while dealing with a hurt ego. Now, I would like to share with you what I have done in order to make myself feel better and move forward without resentment.

I first had to honestly evaluate the other individual involved and in doing do, came to the conclusion that I needed to separate their emotional capacity from mine. I cannot expect others to react in certain situations the same way that I would or in the way in which I thought they should or would, and that that's OK. Their responses and solutions sometimes have absolutely nothing to do with you but with their own predicament. I should, therefore, not take some things as an act of disrespect, but as an act of their own self preservation. In this way, I can separate my ego from the equation and be left with a bit of sympathy and understanding.

I can now move forward on this issue. I can now breath a little easier. I can now be a bit more forgiving. For all these things, I am grateful. Walk lighter and happier today with me!

Anger and Resentment...Live and Let Go!

We all, at one time or another, have experienced the harsh feelings of anger and resentment brought into our lives by another.Whether it be a horrible ex-boss, an ex-spouse, a hurtful friend or family member. Even an incidental encounter with a stranger can have a greater negative impact than expected, lingering on far longer than you thought it would or should.

Yes, it's perfectly reasonable to be appropriately angry and resentful when you are hurt, whatever the situation you have found your self in, but you must know that holding on too long to these negative emotions loses its intended effectiveness of dealing and moving forward by holding you back with a very heavy load to carry.

In essence, what I am trying to convey to you is that you cannot live a life full of gratitude and acceptance if you harbor old resentments along the way. These issues, if not dealt with properly and put aside, will haunt you forever.You must rid yourself of this heavy load. No one gains from your anger, it only makes you miserable and holds you back. It only overshadows your future experiences in a negative light. The only one you are in constant battle with is yourself, and deep down inside you know this to be true. You cannot continue to blame others for your misery. At some point you have to take full responsibility for your own feelings and stop blaming others.

Brighten your future by deciding to not allow room in your being for this negativism to stay around, and in turn, rule your thoughts and processes. However you decide to go about this is your journey. It could come in the form of confrontation (in a peaceful and adult manner) with this individual by letting them know how they have affected you, and then either try and reconcile or move on without them in your life. Be careful if you go into this conversation with great expectations of validation, because this may not happen. Therefore, you will have to prepare yourself for whatever the end result is as far as your relationship goes.

In some cases, a conversation is just not possible. The other party may be long gone already, either by death or distance, or you just don't want anything to do with them any longer. When this occurs, you must search inside yourself and have your own personal conversation. Either way, it is imperative that you seek the lesson to be learned from each of these experiences and try to never to allow yourself to revisit them in a physical sense, only to remember them in order to keep on track.

Choose to be happy, not angry. Choose to walk forward, not back. Choose acceptance over sorrow. Choose to live and let go!

The constant gloater and braggers......

When good fortune has been bestowed upon a loved one, no matter what your current situation, you should find it in yourself to be genuinely happy for them. That being said, I often run into those who feel a great need to be on a constant mission to gloat and brag so much and so often, it is as though they have a need to prove to those around them that they are better in a most degrading way. All this type of behavior accomplishes is to alienate those around them and cause major resentment. For me, these types are very easy to see through. They tend to be, in reality, very insecure people set on a constant course of self acceptance. They have no peace of mind, while being too self absorbed and clueless to the negative vibe they create around them.

So, I say, if you find that you must spend time with these creatures, my best advice is to not get caught up in their stories of wealth and good fortune. Do not take great notice in their new car, suit, home addition, or even the world cruise they are planning to take. Just sit back and observe, don't feed their needy ego. And when you are able to leave their "space", take a deep breath and be grateful that you would never behave in such a way, for you have great empathy for those around you. You have a peaceful mind.