Attitude

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.” ~Khalil Gibran
 
I have not met a person on earth yet who has not had to deal with challenging situations. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that it life is about how you react and deal with the difficult situations.  The experts tell us that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional and I agree.  When I catch myself going into “suffering” mode, I ask if this is the best way to spend my time and energy and what will be accomplished with my suffering.  If I am angry with another person or feel that I have been wronged, my suffering will not affect them. If I am ill, my suffering will not improve my pain or disease.  I accept the situation, learn from it and take actions to positively deal with the challenge.
 
One of my favorite quotes by David Simon is “How do you get what you want? You want what you get.” Acceptance of life is the best way to contentment.  I get to choose how my mind looks at situations. I get to choose my attitude.  Life goes so much easier when I go with the flow of the river instead of trying to swim against the current.
 
Do you believe suffering is optional?
 
What attitude do you bring to difficult situations?