Steer clear of complaining

but i have made a steady effort in this direction and i’m complaining much less than I used to.

So… am counting this as done for now.

will revisit if I see myself slipping up.

am doing a much better job than before!

yay!

When that energy needs to be put to use in a productive way!

I added a new goal to my list today about activating my Power Chakra.

two things…

that after i typed my last entry under this goal, two things happened…

first, i felt a lightening of the spirit, that lightness you feel after having told a good friend of your troubles… having explained my frustration on here helped me to think past it… and i felt much calmer and lighter

second, when i came back a few hours later, i noticed i lost two subscribers. i supposed they didn’t like my last entry. ah well… that’s fine. because i don’t write to please people. I write to gain awareness, to gain knowledge, to give help to others when i can and to at times get help from others by explaining my frustrations to the wise people of 43…

this going to sound suspiciously like complaining… but i just need to vent, for one teeny little sec?

can you believe the following?

1. i borrowed two books from my college library
2. i dutifully renewed them, online in a timely way
3. i dutifully returned Both Books at the Same Time, in a timely way (jan 28)
(note: my method of return was via the return slot. I wanted to very much return to an ACTUAL human being, but no human being was forthcoming, so i reluctantly slid them into the slot)
4. i now get a notice from that library saying that one of the books is overdue.
5. i called them and they looked for it on the shelf
6. they cannot find it, and they say that I am responsible for the book (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

mind you, they have No Policy that states that all books must be returned to a real human being. And they have a slot.

at this point it’s my word against theirs

i am so freaking mad, i could spit nails.

Now I’m not so sure. After work last night I caught myself telling a long story about a miserable shopping experience… and I realized I was complaining but I didn’t know how to turn it around.

I think I could still tell that story but put a little more of a positive spin on it at the end and it wouldn’t necessarily count as complaining. Just honestly sharing a trying experience without placing myself in the role of victim. I’ll have to keep thinking about this one.

it’s just that, why waste time and energy focusing on something that is wrong when instead, one could focus on what is right?

And, I’ve read over and over again that focusing on problems only makes them seem worse and insurmountable. Rather to approach a problem obliquely, and in a “solving” mentality instead of a “oh dear me oh my, what to do, this is horrible” mentality.

Caveat: The one thing I notice as I strive to make these changes in myself, is that I tend to become quickly impatient with other people who are complaining. For instance, I have a new friend who is going through some rough times emotionally and I find it difficult to listen to her constant negative spin on things as I myself am struggling to remain as positive as possible.

So I have to watch myself for the tendency to judge others by the standards I’m trying to establish for myself… (Who gave me the right?) But simultaneously, I must protect my newborn shoot of positivity from being mown down by the force field of others’ neuroses.