Agendas

Everyone has their own agenda. Too often, we lose sight of this fact. Of course people are going to do things that don't match up with your agenda...they are more worried about theirs. This isn't right or wrong, but just the way it is. Logically, this makes sense, but emotionally, it doesn't always feel good.

We're emotional animals and this can make our interactions with others difficult. We want things the way we want them and when people don't agree, we can become angry and frustrated. For some, they handle this well. For others, we don't. When we don't handle it well, things can get ugly quickly. Other people can get involved. Lots of feelings can get hurt.

When emotions are involved, people often lose their minds. Things are said that shouldn't be said. We behave in ways we wouldn't normally behave. We do things we regret. Our emotional side is running the show...all because someone did something that didn't fit our agenda.

Why take things personally? If someone does something you wouldn't do or doesn't do something you would do, know they have their own reasons. They did it because of their agenda. What's the point of letting it bother you? Should other people have that much control over you and how you feel?

I'm not saying you have to ignore it, either. You can discuss with people what you would like or how you would have preferred they acted, but don't let emotions get the better of you. You, and you alone, should be in control of you. Don't give other people the power. Focus on the your agenda and let other people focus on theirs. If they don't mesh, then get out of the others way and move on. It's so much better and more productive than getting mad, frustrated or bitter.

Life is way too damn short to spend your time being mad, frustrated and bitter.

Focus

Things don't always happen the way we want them to. We don't always get the results we are shooting for. There are going to be ups and downs in all of our lives. We'll have arguments; we'll make choices; we'll do the unthinkable; we'll fall down; we'll get up; we'll make some great choices; we'll do something really stupid; we'll win; we'll lose. Such is life.

What we do in our life is important, but how we live is even more important. We can do everything in our power to stay away from failure and mistakes and hurt. Or, we can attack life with a reckless abandon, chasing our dreams and not letting anything stop us. Yes, we will miss some things and we will fail and we will get hurt and we will make mistakes, but if we continue to get up every time we fall and keep pushing forward, nothing will be able to stop us.

I understand the thought and reasoning behind being careful and trying to insulate ourselves from hurting deeply. I spent way too many years of this life hiding from pain and doing anything I could think of to stay as far away from failure. The only thing I accomplished was numbing everything in life and filling it with regrets. I took no chances and did little to excel. I focused on the things I missed and didn't notice the things I gained. Did I really gain them, if I never noticed them?

How we live our life is tied directly to our outlook on life. If you look around you, the people who are truly happy are also the ones who embrace life and take chances and do the impossible. They feel life, both the good and the bad, but they don't dwell on the bad. They don't spend time regretting the things they have done. They keep moving forward and anticipate the great things to come. These people are no different than you or me. The only difference is our focus.