a conscious effort

Earlier this week I had a meeting with my supervisor at work. The meeting was in regards to goals that we should work to achieve in the coming year. Some of them are in regards to how to make our work processes better, others are in regards to how we interact with our peers & those we work with on a daily basis.

One of the goals I decided to make for myself was to nominate at least 1 per/quarter for an award within the company. Oddly enough, my supervisor chose the same goal for my to complete as well. When she had mentioned this was something she wanted me to achieve, she said the following:

"Sometimes it is so easy to get caught up in what people are doing wrong, that we find ourselves forgetting, or neglecting to look at the good things that others are doing as well."

I was so struck by her words & hadn't thought of it that way. However, I put it into not only my job, but my life as well.

How often am I worried about others & their wrongdoings & injustices that I forget to look towards those around me & see all that good that surrounds me on a daily basis. I don't want to live that way. 

I was watching Schindler's List at work the other day & was distracted by some annoying emails & other disturbances around me. I found myself getting worked up about something completely small & not even worth my frustrations. I sat there watching an entire culture be wiped out & found myself wondering why something so small as an email with a question could affect me as much as the movie I was watching.

I find that this is a constant thread in my life right now especially after giving up social media for lent. Too often I would find myself worried about others & what was going on in their lives, and completely took all the energy away from my own life & all the good things within in. I don't want to be someone who is affected by  negative around me, whether it be someone who may have wronged me in the past, or a negative coworker complaining once again. 

I want to recognize the good around me. The coworker who maybe needs a helping hand, or telling Jason that he's a better husband every day. I want to make a conscious effort to not let the negative bother me & to make more space for the positive.

I haven't decided what I necessarily want it to look like once Lent has ended as far as social media goes, but I want to be more aware of my attitude & how I react to those around me.

I would love to hear your thoughts & how you are doing this in your own life, or if  you are going to start with me in making a direct effort to focus on the positive!