Living a Difficult Life

Ever wonder why life can be difficult? Life can be difficult based on people, places and things in our life. Life can also be difficult based on what is going on inside of us.

Life provides many trials and tribulations that can lead to stress and strife. How we handle the stress and strife will determine the path our lives take. What is your approach in handling challenges that come your way?

Everyday we are provided with an opportunity to determine how our day is going to progress. If you begin your day focusing on what's not going right, thinking about the amount of work waiting for you at your job or maybe your mad at someone and you wake up planning your revenge, these thoughts will lead you down the path of a having a bad day. It can cause you to start your day with a negative attitude. If, however, you wake up being thankful for and believing that it's going to be a great day and you are grateful for what the day will bring, then your focus is on the positives.

I know of a situation where instead of the mail being placed in a residents mail slot, the interim postman places the mail in the newspaper box. The interim postman knows where the mail slot is located. Not walking up the stairs and placing the mail in the appropriate container (after being shown where the mailbox is located), could be seen as rebellious. The resident has complained to the post office several times, however, this continues to occur every time the regular postman is off or on vacation. Each time this happens the resident gets angry. I suggested that a note be placed next to the newspaper bin requesting that no mail be deposited there. The resident is not willing to do this. I agree that the mail should be placed in its proper location, however, is an issue like this worth having your day affected? No. Why allow small irritants to turn in to bigger issues?

One step that can be taken to move away from having a difficult life is to determine why you have to have the last word, why you feel you have to defend your position and/or why you may be more concerned in making your point. Don't misunderstand. There are times when we need to take a stand, however, if all you care about is being right, then, you'll never be happy.

Another step that you can take is to ensure that you have all the facts before you make a decision or a judgment. Misunderstanding a situation can definitely cause stress. None of us like to be judged unjustly. You owe it to yourself to get the facts right in order to alleviate any conflict.

Take a look at any internal stress you may be experiencing. What is causing the conflict? What portion of the stress, if any, are you responsible for? When suffering with internal issues, we tend to engage in conflict with the words "you better", "you never" or "you always". Although this verbiage may have been learned at an early age we can find a different, more positive approach rather than having our words perceived as an accusation, a lack of faith in another persons abilities or even as a personal attack. Changing how we say things and even the tone in our voice makes a difference.

You can diffuse internal strife by choosing to not place undue stress in your life. We don't have to have an opinion about everything. We can choose to walk away from controversies. Focus on the positives in your life. Acknowledge that living with peace in your heart is a much better approach than living a difficult life. You'll be glad you did.