Reality Check

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"If you’re proactive, you don’t have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own." ~ Stephen R. Covey

  Isn't it funny, how you can be cruising along through life, and then BANG, something happens to jolt you back to reality, and put things back in perspective for you? Or maybe, with each passing day, you find yourself complaining more and more, and the same thing happens: something happens to make you realize just how trivial you were being.

  It humbles you. And makes you realize what is truly important, and the things you should really be focusing your energy on. I guess it forces you to be thankful. During those moments when it's happened to me, I find myself saying: "I'm never going to complain again!" Yet slowly but surely, a short while later, you're back finding things to complain about.

  I know I have a tendency to do that when things aren't going my way on the basketball court. But really, why am I complaining when my jumper's not falling, or when my ankle hurts a little bit? Even if I get a little homesick, that's nothing to complain about. No one is forcing me to be away from my family and friends.

  I'm all for venting, and letting your feelings be known, but not to the point of whining and complaining. Complaining gets nothing accomplished, and it surely can't be a healthy thing to continuously do.

  The world always has a tendency to throw you off-balance: whether it's something in your own life, your friend's/family member's life, or with someone you hardly know. Ready or not, those times do come.

  I'm not saying that it's good that these things happen. But I am saying it's good to re-gain perspective, and re-assess what we have to be thankful for. What are the things that really matter?
  
"Life's up and downs provide windows of opportunity to determine...[your] values and goals...Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want" ~ Anonymous

  So here's what I'm trying to say: Let's all try to do a better job of keeping things in perspective on our own (myself included!). Let's not rely on the world to shock us back into realizing what's really important.