The people we meet and the things they teach us.

"Wishing I could pass on some elderly advice... actually I'm not wishing I am passing it on. When you get older, you realize how VERY valuable the challenging times in your life are. It's not the easy successes that build character. ALL of your experiences are part of YOUR journey - embrace them all and don't expect them to all make sense while you're in the middle of it." - My Mother

Every negative encounter is an opportunity to learn something new, develop a new perspective, and be more open to the negativity that confronts us throughout life.

Over the past 15 months, I've been challenged by various people that I interact with. Somewhere along this journey, the quote by my mother clicked and I've managed to view negativity as a challenge instead of something to endlessly frustrate and rant about. Of course I still do a bit of that, it's a slow process, but slow progress in the right direction is really what matters.

I've always been quick to judge people, deciding rather quickly, probably way too quickly, about if I'd consider them a friend or a frustration. I met an individual, Juan Smith well call that person, Immediately, I put Juan into the frustration category. I felt bothered every time I was around him and eager to separate myself from any interaction.

Around this point I started reading The Art of Happiness by The Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. I began to observe my interactions with the new found perspective I'd drawn from the book. One of the first chapters discusses trying to find connections with others and seeing them as more than what is so bothering about them. Since my interactions with Juan caused so much unnecessary frustration, I figured that he would be a good first attempt at this. Through much effort, I realized that there was much more that Juan had to offer than being a bother throughout my day. I've since carried this view over to other individuals and have realized that "We often add to our pain and suffering by being overly sensitive to minor things, and sometimes taking things too personally. We tend to take small things too seriously and blow them up out of proportion, while at the same time we often remain indifferent to the really important things, those things which have profound effects in our lives and long-term consequences and implications."

I was planning to look for more examples but I think focusing on such negativity is excessive and having one example is enough to prove my point. Accept the challenging times, find them as an opportunity for growth and don't get stuck in a rut, over analyzing or focusing too much attention on them. It's wasted effort and only serves to lower ourselves, nothing more