Seven months ago I began a journey of practicing mindfulness every day and we've reached day 235. Yesterday, I talked about the value sadness can have in our lives. Today is a new day.
Some days I'll find myself thinking "this is bullshit", "why me" or "life is unfair" and it brings me down. I end up making complaints and that attitude is what makes the rest of the day not so good. Compared to the people who suffered through the internment camps, my life is easy. Sure, life is definitely unfair, but so what? What is complaining going to accomplish? Nothing. Some days I get too caught up and forget this. That's not to say that we don't have legitimate problems. The point is that our attitude makes a difference in how we get through them.
Many of us have been met with a terrible fate, but that doesn't mean that we're doomed to live a terrible life. A large part of how we live is up to our mentality, so it's important to remind ourselves of the positives, to hold on to hope and make the best of what we're given. It's not always the ingredients that make the dish, for a master chef can take bad ingredients and still create a splendid dish. If life hands us shitty lemons, we can still make lemonade.
One thing that helps is to not take things so personally. Not everything is about us and thus the actions and opinions of others don't always reflect us, either. We can't control everything so when the unexpected happens it shouldn't come as such a surprise. Rather, it's how we deal with the situation that really matters.
When I have classes where I feel the kids weren't too engaged or enjoyed themselves, I know that it's not always my fault. The kids came from their normal schools to then take my lesson at a foreign language school, so they're already tired, and then they have to study and do homework when they get home. So I get it: kids will be kids and they're already doing a lot, so I shouldn't take it personally when my lessons aren't perfect.
Finally, no matter what situation we're in, it could always be worse. I could be living in poverty, or maybe a time where North Korea actually bombs Japan and I'm living in a wasteland. Rather than focusing on the negatives in life and complaining about them, deal with them and move on. Try to find the ray of hope within the despair and you can get out of anything. You make the decision.
Peace
"I look at my grandparents and what they dealt with in the Japanese internment in Arizona. That sense of perseverance, of making the best out of an incredibly bad situation, has always been something I drew inspiration from. I always ask myself, "What in the world do I have to complain about?" - Scott FujitaI recently found a fan-remix project to the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask soundtrack on youtube and it brought all sorts of feeling of nostalgia. This is one of my favorite games, and my favorite in the LoZ series (though I've yet to play Breath of the Wild). It's essentially a game about imminent death, the despair leading up to it, and the destruction of a land. Ultimately, the game's message is that no matter how terrible the darkness there is always room for hope, and in that hope you can change what was once believed to be irreversible.
Some days I'll find myself thinking "this is bullshit", "why me" or "life is unfair" and it brings me down. I end up making complaints and that attitude is what makes the rest of the day not so good. Compared to the people who suffered through the internment camps, my life is easy. Sure, life is definitely unfair, but so what? What is complaining going to accomplish? Nothing. Some days I get too caught up and forget this. That's not to say that we don't have legitimate problems. The point is that our attitude makes a difference in how we get through them.
Many of us have been met with a terrible fate, but that doesn't mean that we're doomed to live a terrible life. A large part of how we live is up to our mentality, so it's important to remind ourselves of the positives, to hold on to hope and make the best of what we're given. It's not always the ingredients that make the dish, for a master chef can take bad ingredients and still create a splendid dish. If life hands us shitty lemons, we can still make lemonade.
One thing that helps is to not take things so personally. Not everything is about us and thus the actions and opinions of others don't always reflect us, either. We can't control everything so when the unexpected happens it shouldn't come as such a surprise. Rather, it's how we deal with the situation that really matters.
When I have classes where I feel the kids weren't too engaged or enjoyed themselves, I know that it's not always my fault. The kids came from their normal schools to then take my lesson at a foreign language school, so they're already tired, and then they have to study and do homework when they get home. So I get it: kids will be kids and they're already doing a lot, so I shouldn't take it personally when my lessons aren't perfect.
Finally, no matter what situation we're in, it could always be worse. I could be living in poverty, or maybe a time where North Korea actually bombs Japan and I'm living in a wasteland. Rather than focusing on the negatives in life and complaining about them, deal with them and move on. Try to find the ray of hope within the despair and you can get out of anything. You make the decision.
Peace
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| When you're having a bad day, just know that things could always be worse. |
What complaints do you have with your life? How could it be worse? What can you do to make your life better?
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