Can You Control Your Thoughts and Desires?

A DJ on the radio put things in perspective for me one day. She was complaining about doing dishes and then it hit her. Doing the dishes meant she had a place to live, running water and food to feed her family. We may not always enjoy the things we do, but how many people out there do not have a home or food to feed there family and would love to be doing the dished because it meant that they had those things. Now I may not enjoy doing my chores, but it I have found that I don't mind it near as much either. I realized that I am one of the lucky ones.

I have said this many times on here and I'll be happy to say it again. 4 years ago when I was turning 40 it just hit me how short life is. I was kicking out a cheating crappy husband and had just started from scratch an insurance agency and had 2 small kids. Lost the house in the divorce and all my savings, had to move in with my mom and my kids, etc. Anyway, I was like LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO LIVE IT BEING UNHAPPY. So I made a decision right then and there to be as happy as I could. I got rid of all negative things and people in my life and I never do anything I don't want to do. Or if I slip and feel some sort of obligation (like to go to a party or something) then I only stay for a short time. The last 4 years have been so much better because of this decision I made. And I always try to encourage others to do this too. It really has been life changing! :o)

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~Abraham Lincoln

Happiness is a decision you make every day. If you have a crappy job, be HAPPY you have a job. If your car is past it's prime, be HAPPY it's still running and takes you where you need to go. If you don't want to clean your house, go talk a homeless person who simply fell through the cracks in the system, lost a job, ran out of unemployment, couldn't find a job and ran out of money ended up on the streets. Offer to trade places, I'll take up residence in your cardborad box and you can go live in my house and keep it clean. Kids driving you crazy -- go talk to a mother who lost her child or the mother of the child in the 'Missing child poster'.
I used you have a small plaque in my kitchen, got lost in a move, but it said 'never complain about doing dishes--if you have dirty dishes--you have food to eat. Kinda sums up the way I feel about LIFE in general.

Develop an 'ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE' be thankful for what you have.

This is actually something I have worked on and has had a wonderful turn around for me. It's just a matter of changing your perspective. Growing up, I hated housework. Now, I find it quite enjoyable as well as relaxing. I love music so, like you, I play it when cleaning. I love the smell of a clean home!

Whenever I'm faced with a task I dread I just think of the good that will come from it and that lightens the load and makes me feel better. So that the next time I'm faced with that same thing, my feelings and approach are positive. :)

You are on the right track. You need to figure out what makes you happy and then do it. Don't wait for tomorrow to do it.

JoyFM 99.1 www.joyfmonline.org is a very uplifting radio station. You should be able to get on your computer.

Dance with the kids. Make popcorn on the floor and throw it at each other. Go to the store and buy a carton of icecream and plastic spoons and take it to the park and eat the whole thing.

Figure out what brings you joy then do it today!

I think that you choose your attitude. You can choose to enjoy your day or let your day get you down. Of course that is easier said than done.....but for the most part, I do try to not let my circumstances define my attitude. My circumstances are going to be my circumstance wether I am worried and stressed about it or not, it is not going to change the outcome.....

Well I'm now 47 years old. I'll tell you the secret. lol
It's all about the attitude.
Really it's being able to live IN the moment. I mean being just were you are not one or two steps ahead of yourself. There is no pleasure in that because you are always busy, frustrated trying to get there trying to enjoy it. Also being grateful goes a very long way in life. Even when things are hard you realize as you age that it could be so much harder. Of course this is something I learned but not always something I do ;)
C.

Great question!

My answer would somewhat contradict your statement that "we cannot always live for Friday night or 3 day weekends. I mean, why do we do anything that we do? We work to pay bills or get something with that money (ie braces for the kids, a bigger home, better car, etc). So, sucky work = fun stuff!

Even when I do laundry - I enjoy it. I am weird, I know. I like accomplishing things. That is mostly in my personality. I don't know a whole lot of people who enjoy chores.

Everything we do has a motivating factor. I know if I wash my kid's clothing, they will be clean, look nicer and smell better. I can add some music to my folding, but in the end, the end result and motivating factor are the same.

If you have the attitude that Mondays suck, then your Monday will suck. But, if you go in thinking "I am going to make money today that my family needs, thank GOD I have a job, and Friday will be here soon enough" - I think you will make it!

Here are some ways I make my "mundane" tasks more enjoyable:

- treat myself to Starbucks before doing something I really don't want to do. It gives me that caffeine pep I love.
- Add music, like you mentioned. LOVE this idea.
- Call a friend before or after a task - it cheers me up instantly.

The only thing I cannot control is my desire to eat chocolate!!!!!(lol) That's true....I think everybody, including myself, needs to work on doing things we don't like and being comfortable with it ..we don't have to enjoy it but at the same time we don't have to hate them..... However, I actually enjoy what I do and what I am. My not favorite thing is cooking for instance, I just don't like it, but I try to think that I do that for my loved ones and I love when they smile and my husband and kids say:" Wow...the best meals we eat is what YOU cook....!" So, that helps.....but that encouraging thing comes mostly from outside (my kids and husband).
Motivation comes from inside and inspiration comes from outside. I motivate myself every single day thinking that what I have is a treasure (material and spiritual things) and a blessing. There are so many people out there who have terrible problems or illnesses, and I am healthy (yeah...high cholesterol levels and hypothyroidism) but, I can live with that and I take care of it.......My husband and kids, my family and good friends are a whole inspiration that lead me to just LIVE and be thankful. There are bad and ugly things out there, but also and mostly beautiful and interesting things there to be discovered and lived!
If you feel good, healthy and strong you will feel great, so take care of yourself, have a nap, have a tasty cup of coffee with a nice friend, have a date with your husband, go outside and play water balloons with your kids and laugh...laugh.....eat healthy, exercise...all this is just minutes and will make you feel happy...Do charity whenever is possible....oh God...it feels SO good, believe me! Just live..and when you do those things you don't like...just take a deep breath, walk out for a minute and come back to resume what you are doing...To me.....bored things and things I don't like to do at all is better to do it immediately..and then doing what I like..it is so enjoyable...