SFO! My mantra!

I had an epiphany this morning.

We work with a very difficult woman.  She is an employee of one of our clients, and she does her best to make our lives miserable.  Even if it means lying through her teeth.  Even if it means bullying us around because she knows we won't yell at her (because we can't, though we would like to, all the time).  Even if it means providing incorrect information so she can make us go back and redo months of work.  This woman.  Is a Beast.

I've been very upset and frustrated with her the past few days, and I couldn't help but wonder why someone, who is 52 years old, would act like she was 12.  The surface reason is that she's mad about having part of her job outsourced.  But, I feel that it is unhappiness and disssatisfaction with her own pathetic life that causes her to lash out at us, instead of finding other ways to be valuable to her employer.

Once I realized that, the "mad" started to melt away and I started to feel sorry for her.  How miserable must a person be, to treat others that way?  I'm guessing pretty darn miserable.  I wonder if she has been that unhappy for her entire 52 years of life.  How much life does she have left?  Will she spend it being equally as miserable as she is now?  What a waste of life that would be.

I started thinking about my own life.  I felt grateful that I am still only 26, and that if I once had potential to become that 52 year old bitter lady, I will not let it happen now.  I've got aways to go before I'm 52, and I'm not going to spend it like that.  Life is too short.

People who try to bring others down are only unhappy with themselves.  For people who are happy with themselves, it's easy to spread that happiness to others, to serve them, to uplift them. 

• I want to be the sort of person that uplifts those around me, not vice versa. 
• I want those I love to know that I love them, and not let little petty stuff or differences determine my actions towards them.
• And when others try to "dump their garbage" on me, I will let it roll off, because I do not want to spend my life being miserable about stuff that I cannot change.  There's no point.  The energy I were to spend being upset would only detract from the joys that life can bring.
• I want to reach old age, feeling confident that I proactively took control of my own life, having filled it with happiness and purpose, instead of only being influenced by others (both emotionally and temporally), or just floating around to wherever the wind took me.

In short:  LIFE is too SHORT to waste it being miserable, about anything!  It should be enjoyed!  Don't let others have control over your emotions and your life.  YOU are the only one who can determine the kind of person that you are.

There.  That is called "locus of control."  I know I'm cheesy.  VERY cheesy.  But I believe in this stuff.  And I know it's not the first time I've had that epiphany, nor will it be the last.  Sometimes I do need a reminder. :) Happy Friday!