Friday, September 9, 2011

Living Joyfully-Managing Inconveniences

We had some minor work done in our home last week. Unfortunately, "minor" work turned into ceiling panels being ripped out, and eight days of workers around instead of the anticipated two. This accidental mistake by one of the workers caused many days of work, of being stuck at home all day, of having a cluttered home, and my daughter not being able to access her toys because they were behind a couch and desk that had been pushed back. The workers kept telling me how much they appreciated my good attitude despite the circumstances.

Some things in life are irritating, but non-life-threatening, non-permanent, minor inconveniences. These include (from personal experience), hitting every single red light, having to wait for an hour in the doctor's office waiting room, your favorite television show being cancelled due to a sports contest that ran late, or the power being out.
  • Can You Change It? 
    • If Yes, change it. If No, change how you think about it. Make the best of everything...God promises to make all things work for good. 
  • Take a Big Picture View
    • Will this really matter in 10 years? In 10 days? In 10 minutes? When you think about it from the big picture, things tend to become smaller and easier to cope with.
  • Take A Breather and Count Your Blessings
    • If the stress of an inconvenience is overwhelming you, take a deep breath, hold it, and slowly exhale. Do this several times. Think about all your blessings and the things you are grateful for.
  • Remember That True Joy Is Not Based On Circumstances
    • If getting stuck in traffic ruined your entire day, chances are, you weren't that happy to begin with. Flexibility is a crucial part of being joyful, since it allows you to focus on the unexpected blessings, rather than being caught up in your own expectations about a situation.
When faced with inconveniences, you choose how to react. Your reactions can either bring joy or steal joy from you and those around you.

2 comments:

  1. I LOVED this post! Thank you for the great reminders!!! My favorite part: "When faced with inconveniences, you choose how to react. Your reactions can either bring joy or steal joy from you and those around you."

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  2. Thanks Jenae! With workers in my house all week, and a massive power outage last night, I had to remember all these points :)

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