I just found this quote, and it’s a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. I’ve realized, spending time thinking about and getting upset over other people’s actions (usually those I don’t agree with or just annoy me) is just a huge waste of time. This is something I used to do a lot more, but over the years have learned to just let a lot of is slide off my back and focus on more positive thoughts. And this isn’t something that just happened, I had to make a conscious effort of change the way I think. Crazy, I know!

So instead of focusing on things I have NO CONTROL OVER, instead why not make myself a better person by learning from other’s actions. If it’s something I admire, how can I incorporate this into my life? If it’s something I do not agree with, then I ask myself some questions:

1. Do I also do this? If so, stop it completely or change for the better.
A lot of times the things that annoy me the most are things I do myself, like procrastinating or always having to be right.

2. If I don’t currently do this, how can I make sure I never start and what can I learn?
I love to learn from other people’s mistakes because sometimes it means I don’t have to make my own first!

When I was a kid and I’d complain about someone to my mom, she’d usually respond with “Sweep your own doorstep.” So now, whenever I find myself obsessing negatively over someone else’s actions, unless I can turn it into a positive or help that person in some way, I try to refocus my energy on improving my own life. I’m a work-in-progress.