Monday, January 23, 2012

Think differently

"Why?" is a question I often find myself asking and it often goes unanswered. It's so easy for me to overthink situations, relationships, life. I analyze it, picking it apart and trying to see it from every angle. The result is that I get overwhelmed, stressed out and negative. Oooh, that is a bad combination!

Some of the "Why" questions I'm thinking about now:

* Why is self-discipline so difficult?

* Why do we say things to hurt other people?

* Why do we let our emotions cloud our judgment?

* Why is trusting God such a tough thing to do?

* Why is it so easy to waste time when there are so many good things I should be doing?

* Why is it difficult to find a kind word to say in response to the harsh words spoken to you?

* Why am I so restless?

I realize that it's often better not to dwell on the "why" which can be a fruitless pursuit of explanations I may never get. Instead, asking myself, "what am I going to do about...?" is a better focus to have. This latter question forces me to think about my area of influence. What can I change? What can I do differently? I have no ability to control other's actions or words but I can choose how I act and how I speak.

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