Lesson #2

I know it's January 31 and not January 1, but I seem to be resolving to do a lot of things lately.  I told you last week about how I'm making an effort to live life*, but the other major thing I've been thinking about lately is how I need to choose to be happy.

See, I started noticing that I was complaining a lot.  About work, about people, about neighbors with yappy dogs, about anything that crossed my path, really. And the complaining was bothering me (and if it was bothering me, what was it doing to those who were forced to listen to it?).  One day, I got so sick of this that I stopped mid-story and told the guy I was talking to, "You know what? I feel like all I ever do is complain when I talk to you, and I don't want to be that person, so I'm going to stop talking now."

I think I used to be a naturally happy person.  Now I would describe myself more as a naturally neutral person who tends to gravitate toward the bad side of things instead of the good. I don't like that change.

So for the past couple of weeks, I've had sort of an internal mantra going.  Choose Joy.  When I get irritated or upset or stressed, and I start the internal litany of complaints, I stop and say to myself, "No. Choose joy." And just that thought allows me to change my mindset. To realize that I am in control of my attitude. To focus on the positives.  I am actually really lucky, because the choose joy mantra is something that is coming into my brain on its own.  I think my next step is to set up a dance music playlist (Is it weird that I don't have one already? I feel like this is something I should have) so I can bust out a quick dance party if things are really dire and need to bounce back to Joytown.

I'm not saying I'm never negative now and don't ever complain.  But I am catching myself more often. And catching myself is half the battle. ** This is one of those things that I'll continue to work on for awhile.  Because I want to be a Joyful Jill***, not a Negative Nancy.

*ever since I posted the Live Life lesson, I've regretted that term. How generic is "live life"?  I suppose we are our own worst critics, and you guys got the drift of what I was saying. But of course we need to live life, right? Cause otherwise we'd be dead.
**and the other half is dancing my way back to Joytown, apparently.
***do you ever have to play that game where you pick an adjective that starts with the same letter as your first name? Mine is always Joyful Jill or Jubilant Jill.
****if your name is Nancy, I do not mean to imply that you are negative by nature.  I just like the alliteration.