On positivity

I've been doing a lot of complaining lately.  Out loud and in my head.  I enjoy a good venting session every now and then, but for the past month or so I feel like I've been going through just a daily stream of negative thinking, feeling, and saying out loud.  I know that when I get stressed, busy, and overly tired, I'm more prone to fall victim to the negative mindset, more likely to complain about things that in the long run aren't going to amount to anything of significance, and way more likely to focus on the not so great things in my life instead of the numerous wonderful ones.  

I also know I've written before about negativity but apparently I need a reminder right now about the importance of positive thinking.  I have been wasting way too much of my mental and sometimes physical energy on whining and complaining, and frankly I'm a bit tired of it all.  I can accept that there are aspects of my life that are less than ideal, that there are things I would like to be different.  Yes I would love to have a newer, bigger house in the country, to make more money and do more traveling, but these are things I can't change with the snap of my fingers.  It's going to take much longer and much more effort. In other words, I just have to get used to it and get over it.  Even though I'm just naturally one of those people who wants to make things sunny and wonderful and perfect all the time and right away with no delay, sometimes it's just not in the cards.  I need to stop dwelling and just take it all in stride, which can be really hard for me to do, hence my current state of mind.

I know I'm not the only person out there who complains about their job from time to time.  I'm willing to bet that complaining about work is right up there on the list of top complaint topics because I seriously doubt that most of us are living out our dream careers.  Lately I have made an art form out of work whining and, to be honest, I'm a bit sick of myself.  The more time I waste going over the things that irritate and annoy me, the more irritated and annoyed I feel.  Hmmm.....sense a pattern here?  I don't know why it's been so hard for me lately to just leave work at work, including all my annoyances, but I can't seem to stop going over, and over the irksome details, which in turn leaves me overly frustrated and mentally exhausted.  It's silly, really, because not everything about my job is complaint-worthy, but of course those seem to be the only details I am zoning in on right now.  Again I pose the question, why are we so much more inclined to focus on the negative instead of the positive?

I'm putting a stop to it here and now.  I'm going to actively start training my mind to be positive and optimistic.  I know it's not going to work all the time and in all situations, but when I feel the urge to complain I'm either going to bite my tongue, or think of something nicer to say.  I'm going to stop wasting time dwelling on the things that don't make me happy, and instead I'm going to redirect my attention to things that I value, that I enjoy, that make me less inclined to feel dour and unhappy.  I really feel like perception is everything, and if I can just start zoning in on the not-so-bad things I think it will really help me to get out of this negative funk I have been in.  If you have any extra positive energy, send it my way.