Happy Sunday!
I am excited and filled with joy at the possibilities to create, learn and grow. The past week has been amazing. I explored new opportunities, and met with interesting and inspiring people. I am excited about the good things to come.
Recently a friend of mine asked me what makes me happy. Now, while I have been on this high for a while, I haven’t considered what elements of my life contributed to it. I was only aware that I have been feeling good. I paused to consider what really makes me happy. The answer is that small choices each day made me feel good. I am happy in my relationship. I enjoy connecting with family and friends. Doing activities I enjoy— reading, writing, reviewing books, talking about books. All these combine to make me feel good.
Now there are moments when I feel awful, when the reality does not meet the expectation, there are moments of disappointment. I feel these blows and sometimes, all I can do is cry until I feel relieved. When this happens I have to fight to regain control of my thoughts and emotions. One of the most useful and immediate ways to feel better is to connect with those you love. Listening to music is another one of my go-to options. I will read a fun, lighthearted romance book, a chick-lit will usually lift my spirits. When I cannot get to these, a very quick option is to read affirmations. There are also two wellness websites that I visit every few days for doses of positive energy:
Lately, I have been conscious of the activities, persons and thoughts that drain me. I am avoiding these. And with this deliberate action, I can’t help but feel good. And I am thankful that this feeling of gratitude, excitement and hopefulness has been sustained over the last two weeks. And I think I can finally hold close to this optimism and goodness.
My Jamaican Vignettes 
Gratitude and counting your blessings always are a sure way to stay on track (at least for me). Wonderful post !
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Thanks Mike. Expressing my gratitude has really been making a difference in how I feel and my outlook.
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Hey Chantel, I have read all your posts in this series and I agree with your outlook. However, even though we all strive to be happy and avoid negativity, most times we are not the ones who seek out these negative interactions that we are forced to deal with. From my experience, there are people especially in work environments who will stop at nothing, or possibly would not be able to have a good day at work unless they make someone else’s day miserable. There are persons who are charged with managing staff, yet they are not even able to manage their own emotions and instead of being professional, they are petty and seem to have not mentally passed the primary level stage. The sad reality is even when you find a new job, and “expect” things will be better, there is no telling that the situation will be different. You might end up having to deal with another version of these people all over again. What then?
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Hi Michka, thanks for reading, following, connecting and supporting. Truly appreciated. There is no way to avoid negative interactions. It’s just not possible. We can only control how we respond. At work, our focus has to be on excelling at the tasks assigned and the work we have committed to do. Show up, be professional and work hard. That is the present reality and how to handle the situation. Always maintain professionalism. This job challenge is also temporary, or it can be. That’s for you to decide. I know persons who have been miserable in jobs for decades, this is unfortunate and really sad, but that is their choice, they have chosen to make that their reality. You can seek out new opportunities, and although you have no control over how other work environment may be, you owe it to yourself to try. And hopefully, wherever you find yourself on the next phase of your career will be a better, more nurturing and positive environment. Also maybe you can create and build your own enterprise and you can create that positive work environment for yourself and others.
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