Have you ever been so worried about something that just being around an upbeat person really pissed you off?
How can they be so positive when things are going so crappy for you? What do they have to be so happy about?
It does appear that some people are born optimists. The world can be falling down around them, but they still have a smile on their face and a spring in their step.
When I was in my twenties, I moved from Atlanta to New York City for my career.
Every day, I'd take the bus from my brownstone on the Upper West Side to my office in midtown Manhattan. Every day, the bus was jam-packed with people, and you were lucky if you were able to snag a seat.
Most of the time, I held on to a pole or the back of a seat, swinging around like a monkey (wearing high heels) every time the bus lurched to a stop. On one lucky day, I did get a seat near the front of the bus.
Within a few minutes, the bus stopped again, the doors opened, and a hugely pregnant woman climbed on. The bus was packed as usual, and there were no available seats. I looked around at the dozen or so men seated nearby, and I swear to you, not one of them got up and offered their seat. Ultimately I offered mine.
Bad habits creep up on us.
One day we smoke that first cigarette, eat that first bag of Cheetos, or discover how easy it is to charge things on a credit card.
Before you know it, that one decision has mushroomed into big, bad habit. We become physically or mentally addicted to substances, food, spending, nail biting, and any number of actions that don't reflect our best selves.
Sincerely apologizing is an advanced emotional skill.
It requires doing something most of us find extremely difficult — getting past the ego self.
The thought process leading to an apology is complex and involves pushing past many internal barriers. We must honestly examine ourselves, our behavior or words, the motivation behind the behavior or words, and the feelings of those we've injured or offended.
“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” ~Edgar Allen Poe
As long as I can remember, my hyper-sensitivity has been a running theme in my life.
When I was a child, I could easily pick up on the subtle undercurrents going on in my house. When the mood shifted from normal to tense, I was quick to notice it and quick to try to set things right. My mom called me “the little peacemaker.”