Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Attitude and Emotion

"I don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions.  I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them."
Oscar Wilde. 

I like routines.  I think they make me productive.  I think they give me freedom.  Rules bring freedom.  When you know what you can't do, you know what you can do.  Knowing what you can do allows creativity, fun, enjoyment and variety.

My problem I've realized is that I keep trying to ignore new rules.  This leaves me frustrated and angry. Both I believe lead to self pity.

"I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.  A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.
D.H. Lawrence

That leaves you weak and stagnant.  Loathing the new rules.  I'm a slow adapter to life change.  I know this about myself.  I spend to much time bemoaning my newest "time stealer" instead of adapting to the new routine.  With my mindset in self pity, I'm also losing all the freedom that can come from playing with the new rules.

The last of humans freedoms -to Choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstance, to choose one's own way. 
Viktor E. Frankl

An awesome therapist in Canada named Jeff Cubos put up a quote by Viktor E Frankl last week and it reminded me of his great book "Mans Search for Meaning."  This book I think should be read every couple years for the simple reminder about choosing your attitude.  If there ever was a man to be angry about circumstance and right fully so, he is on the list.  A Holocaust survivor.  That should explain most everything about what he had to endure.

"When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves."
Viktor E. Frankl

I'm not sure if I will ever be great at the whole concept of the quotes I posted.  That's probably not the point though, it is to be better today then yesterday.  To dominate emotion, choose my attitude and play within the rules.


No comments: