It is really amazing how many things the average person can find to complain about in one day. “Ugh, this traffic sucks. I will never get to work on time!” “This stupid phone, why isn’t it working in this place?” I can’t believe she picked that restaurant; this one is so much better.” “I can’t believe it’s only Monday!”

Does any of this sound familiar to you? Step back for a minute and consider the common statements above. There may be traffic, but you have a job to go to. The phone may have a crappy signal, but you can afford a phone. You may not like the restaurant, but you have the luxury of going out to eat and being able to buy food. And yeah, maybe it’s Monday – so?

Not only are we often complaining about things that other people around the country and world do not have because they don’t have the means, but we also tend to complain about things that we can do absolutely nothing about. How senseless is that?

For example, we complain about the weather being too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy…and can we change it? Nope. Can we snap our fingers and make that traffic disappear in a poof of purple smoke? Nope.

You also alienate people when you complain too much. I have a friend I love dearly, but literally every word that comes out of her mouth is negative. It gets old after a while; it really does.

What about a change in perspective? Instead of getting ourselves worked up, making our blood pressure higher and cultivating an attitude of negativity that can stretch into our entire day and affect everyone with whom we come into contact, let’s try instead to make the best of every situation. How? Well, let’s see.

If you are sitting in traffic, blast the radio when you find a song you love and sing along, find an interesting new podcast or take a moment to notice the cars that pass you by and whatever else might be around you. Think of your favorite movie and see if you can quote some of it. Take the time to enjoy your coffee for once.

Another thing we can do is stop and think of all the things we are grateful for. This can be our families, our jobs, our talents, our upcoming vacations or even in the thick of an aggravation, just try to find a positive spin. Challenge yourself to find the positive in everything. A personal example: My dryer broke the other night…at least I still have a washing machine…clothes can always be hung up to dry.

See how that works? May you find the light in the deepest darkness. Namaste.

Jennifer Russo