I’m one you can always count on to look for the positive side in everything and when it comes to aging – - there are many. In fact PMA, (Positive Mental Attitude) is something I seem gain more and more of the older I get.
I remember all too well the days of weeping and wailing, pacing and flailing when stressful situations came my way. But always in retrospect, after the shenanigans were over, situations were never as bad as they seemed and rarely justified my reaction. Today, having successfully come through any number of life experiences, lessons learned and mountains conquered I’m able to bring myself to the positive side of a challenging situation almost immediately and experience the peace and freedom that comes along with that.
This emotional maturity sure feels good and I can only suspect (or at least hope) that we get more of it as we get older. Perhaps this is one of the reasons we experience more rich and rewarding personal relationships as we mature. One thing’s for sure, any employer who doesn’t covet this quality as one of the many values age brings to the workplace – is not worth their weight in salt. Ahhh, if only we could package and sell it!
Sondra, I can confirm that it DOES get better and better. By the time I was 53, I was finally able to let go of “they”: what they thought, what they’d say. All vestiges finally disappeared. And … at 63? I now want to proactively reach back beyond 53 an 43 and try to help women find the keys to that emotional maturity even earlier. (That, and similar financial maturity!)
And you certainly have all the right tools in your box to do it Sharon. http://sharonoday.com is a wonderful resource!
Sondra, I agree that after the shenanigans are over, the situation is not as bad as you thought. Here’s the other thing I would add. Even when it is bad– how much good does all the weeping and wailing do? As you get older, you realize it just doesn’t help so you might as well be a little more Zen about the whole thing and figure out what you’re going to do next.
Amen to the Zen! The rest is futile.
Thanks for sharing and uplifting my day with such a PMA post!
Cynthia! I always love it when you stop in. Thanks so much!
PMA!!! A great replacement word (well acronym) for COUGAR to describe our demographic, eh? When I first saw your post, I thought she was biting into a big chocolate bar
Love ya!
Lovely, Sondra. I find that when I am ready to jump in and fight, I make myself step back, breathe, and assess if it is really worth it. Many times it is not and I just choose to walk away. Who has the energy for stupid fights? Why get my blood pressure up? Not worth it.
Annnnd! It’s so much more fun to turn it into a game and make a positive out of a negative. Love using this on less than pleasant customers service personnel