Stop Complaining, Please.

7 Days Remain

The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.

I had trouble being nice yesterday.  I certainly wasn't unkind, but I didn't feel capable of my regular kind of compassion.  Even after blabbing about being nice in my blog the day before, I found myself challenged in the "kind" category.  

I'll admit it, I let all the negative chatter on Facebook get to me. Maybe you noticed all the fine solutions posted about how to take care of the current state of Government. Posts suggesting we "Kick all the congressmen out!", " "Replace them with better people!", "Drive to Washington and tell them how to do their job!" (They're closed, remember?)  Plans that would only work in the movies. Grand ideas from individuals who have no intention of following through with them. Madness!!

All of this reminded me of the above quote. Each and every day that I get smarter, I realize I know so very little.  So what does a person do? It's hard to feel helpless and many people feel like the government controls everything. Is the only solution complaining and sharing crumby ideas?!  No way!

It's times like these that remind me of how very powerful we really can be. In my experience, very small actions taken by a large group of people can be pretty amazing.  Get in the habit of saying, "What can I do?" rather than "What should everyone else do?" 

So what can you do? That's for you to decide, but I plan to work harder at the following:

• Focus on the best health of myself and my family.  If I'm worried about paying too much for healthcare, I should be working diligently at this.  It's everyone's responsibility to take care of themselves.
• Be more informed. Before I post or repost something, I'm going to be sure the information is correct.  It's ok to not know everything, but it's our responsibility to learn.
• Get involved. Look for ways that you can help; big or small.  Can I help someone navigate the health.gov website? Can I join a group of productive citizens to make change?  Should I run for office.  (No, I shouldn't)  Figure out where you fit best and take part. 
• Teach my loved ones how to be high-quality people in the world. I can only do my best, and that's all anyone expects.  Once you do your best, your best gets better, naturally. Totally true!
• Step away from my computer and stop complaining.  I think we all know that talk and no action produces nothing.
• Find joy in everyday things. It's totally reasonable to be happy in the midst of chaos.  What would happen if everyone was happy?  Can you imagine? 

That's a pretty short list, but it's a start.  I'm sure I'll add to it throughout today..... and throughout my life.

A big shout out to Ryan on his 37th Birthday today!  :)