4/16/10

Do you write in pen or pencil?

If we both have 10 stressful areas in our life, it would be fair to say we have equal stress. (not usually the case though dependent upon the depth of each problem) But, what could shift those numbers is if one of us has the inability to deal with stress which would tip us over the edge at 11. The eleventh thing is the heaviest weight.

"We all got problems" is a popular saying. Sure, everyone is going through something but some of us can even double our problems by simply adding unnecessary fuel to the fire.

Simplifying it; say for instance, there are these 4 problems;

1. Lack of energy/ health issue

2. A relationship/family problem

3. Job loss

4. Threat of foreclosure

From what I can tell, there are 2 main areas which we will add to the number 5 position.

5. Anger

OR

5. Calm disposition

Speaking somewhat from experience here, I would say ‘anger’ just adds another problem to the "problem list" whereas a ‘calm disposition’ can be the catalyst to truly erasing the other 4.
It’s like writing in pencil vs writing in pen.

*Anger is either our liquid paper (which I don’t know that I have ever seen a document with liquid paper ever look good) or it can be a giant red marker haphazardly strewn across calligraphy.

*A calm disposition has the ability to be an eraser. We may still see the hint of pencil on our page, but it doesn’t render the page completely useless. The problems are not entirely gone, but we can still write on it.

For me personally, I have been spray-painting my problems onto brick walls all over the city. All the clean-up crews out there have attempted to paint over it and clean it off, but I was so sure these problems were permanent, so good luck getting it off!

But it’s a personal decision I made. I chose to make my own problems permanent by adding anger to them. I chose to write in pen (and oil-based paint) not pencil.

Writing things down is a great way to get a handle on our problems. We can in light pencil see exactly what we are up against. Writing in pencil (or keeping this calm disposition) reminds us our problems are not permanent. I am a big proponent of lists for the things I need to get done…good things, and the bad but the lists always need to be crossed-off. I need to as a historically depressed person, feel like my problems are not permanent and that I am doing something to move onto my happiness.

The hope is to concentrate on number 6; ACTION. Not REACTION.
Of course, I did buy this white board this week… I like it. I can alter the state of the problem before removing it. ;) HA!

ROCK ON!
Karen :)

"Be like a duck. Calm on the surface, but always paddling like the dickens underneath." ~Michael Caine

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