Stop and Smell The Roses
I am an emotional person. I mean, very emotional. Often times my emotions are out of control, and range from "will I ever laugh again?" to "ohhh shiny red ball, wait what was I just crying about?" Is this me being dramatic? The very last thing I would ever label myself is a drama queen, but when I put it that way it sure sounds like it.
I just feel feelings so much... if that makes any sense at all. I'm kinda like the chick from Mean Girls....
I get so excited over silly weekend plans, that I can hardly wipe a smile off my face. I get so sad over car commercials where the dad sends his daughter off to college that I think I'll put Kleenex on a company wide backorder. I get so worked up worrying if someone is mad at me or if I've hurt someone's feelings that I'll send myself into full on panic. My emotions are all over the place, lord help us all if I ever have children. I get angry, jealous, sad, happy, elated, irate... all in the blink of an eye.
I can't tell you how many times I've felt that I deserved something that I didn't get, and then gotten ridiculously worked up over the whole thing. The number of times that I felt angry or jealous that someone else was given an opportunity that I thought I was way more deserving of. My first instinct is just to quit, throw my hands up in the air, cry woe is me and say screw this. Sheesh, maybe I am a drama queen!
It's ok to be emotional over a let down, but the key is to not focus on the negative. When I actually take step back and think about the bigger picture, I find an explanation. Did I really work hard enough to deserve what was given to that other person?
One thing my Dad always used to tell me was that I needed to work on was having thicker skin. This was solid advice for literally everything in life. As bloggers, we should also heed this advice. If something doesn't go your way, don't just sit there and pout in a jealous rage. Find out what you can work harder on, or how you can be more creative next time.
If someone says something mean about you, maybe what they're saying is actually relevant and should be taken into consideration. When we let our emotions get the best of us, we can end up regretting how we handle the situation, I know I do. There have been many times I've been criticized, and instead of actually considering that that person has a highly valid point, I just want to label them as a bitch.
Think about it, I bet most of us are not brave enough to give criticism to someone in a constructive way. I know I'm not. Instead, I'd rather just stay silent. There are a lot of people in my life who might have benefited if I had told them exactly what I thought, having nothing but good intentions to help them to be a better person or to get an opportunity they were working toward.
We all ask for feedback, but then if the feedback isn't what we wanted to hear we get pissed off and defensive. If you can really take constructive criticism, you open the doors to being the best possible version of yourself. Two minds are better than one, right?
My point here is that it's ok to be overly emotional, but don't let that initial emotional, knee-jerk reaction be how you ultimately handle the situation. Give yourself a minute, take a deep breath and really think if your reaction is warranted.
And whatever you do, don't forget to take a moment to stop and smell the roses at the end of the day. Regardless of what someone else has, or what what someone else says to you... never forget or neglect the positives in your life. They won't stick around if you don't stop to appreciate them from time to time.
These are my two goals for 2016: Don't let my emotions rule every reaction + stop and smell the roses.
