Sorry its been so long since I’ve posted, this thing we like to call life has been crazy lately. Anyways recently I have been working a lot and still trying to find the time to study for my series 6 financial license, as well as do things to keep me sane, mainly yoga and basketball.
However I am sure you all can do without the details of why my life has been hectic. But the details are important. Isn’t there an old saying that goes something like this, ” The devil is in the details.” Which basically boils down to the fact that there are lots of small tasks that must be completed in order to be successful. Many proverbs use the word “devil” to refer to caution. So another way it could be interpreted is to give heed or caution to the details.
So why all the talk about details and whats the correlation to your title, “Little Victories.” Well I am glad you asked. When I first thought about this topic I was driving to work, and I dropped my iPhone between my seat and the center console. I remember squeezing my hand between the seat far enough to just barely grasp my phone only to drop it even further down. Now I was faced with a dilemma, do I A. wait 20 minutes till I get to work to get my phone? Or B. Try my absolute best to finagle my way to my phone? Well I choose B. I know what you are thinking, ” seriously you cant wait to get your phone.” Well I can go without my phone for 20 minutes but I was more determined not to let the seat win. So long story short I got my phone and maintained both eyes on the road. So after I had my phone safely in my hands I thought to myself, ” way to go, you showed that seat.”
What do I want you to learn from this story? Well I think that we are all to negative with ourselves. We constantly tell ourselves that we need to do better, we need to be skinnier, faster, prettier, smarter, or more accepted. I am all for self improvement, but at some point we need to be comfortable with who we are. Everyone is unique in their own way, and we all have our own unique strengths and weaknesses. An important lesson I learned at a basketball camp I attended while in High School has not only helped me as a basketball player but more importantly has helped me as a person. The lesson that I learned was that we should all say six positives things for every one negative. Just to reiterate that’s six positive thoughts to one negative thought! Now you may be thinking that is a little obsessive and arrogant; however, it is totally achievable and its not arrogant. It is simply building your self-esteem and self-worth. I am not saying to verbalize all of the positives to others, but as you get more comfortable with being positive with yourself hopefully that will spill over in the form of building other up.
This brings me back to the little victories. Sometimes it may be difficult to think of six positive things to think about yourself, this is where the little victories come into play. For example you may have a really bad day, and one of the six positive thoughts could simply be that you tied your shoes well. Really it doesn’t matter how big of positive the act is, just as long as its is indeed positive. Hold yourself accountable to be positive. Tell the people you are around the most that you are going to experiment with being more optimistic. Smile more and be friendly. I promise that you will not only see a difference in your life but others as well. One lesson that I didn’t fully understand on my mission was some advice that my mission president gave me, he explained this simple yet complex statement to me, ” Tyler when you wake up, make the choice to be happy.” I still to this day wish that I would of grasped the idea of this thought that very day. I am still working on it. When I first heard this statement I can recall pondering with the idea that happiness is a choice? We can choose to be happy before we even start the day I recall asking myself?
The answer to those questions is an ABSOLUTE YES! Most people wake up and let circumstances and outcomes shape whether they have a good day, instead of deciding first thing that it is going to be a great day. We can have a positive outlook on life and our trials. Now I will be the first to tell you that this is much easier said than done; however, it is possible. I am going to challenge myself to be more positive and make the choice to be happy. I also want to challenge all that read this to do the same and enjoy the little victories!
Nunc Coepi 