Luciana
Skeptical Carioca
You don't remember all the times you had a good-to-very-good shopping experience. But the time you had an awful service not only you'll remember, but you'll tell everyone about it.
You encounter many nice folks during your average day. It only takes one jerk to change your mood. Example: everything has been fine so far, your day has just started, and a jerk makes a stupid move and nearly hits your car. Because of that, you arrive in your workplace irritated and jumpy, and many things nice will have to happen before you restore your good mood.
At one point in my life, I got along very well with all of my coworkers, except for my boss. When she entered the room, all my humor was gone. I have no problems with authority and would have had recognized her talents/skills/competence, etc. if there was any. But no, she was the most obnoxious and spiteful person on the face of earth. Obviously, she was my boss, so I had too much of her. But even so she was only one, out of dozens who respected my opinion and appreciated my work, and that included her own boss! Her effect on me was *not* justifiable by anything else than the fact that I was giving her too much importance and, after all, she was only a small part of my working life.
The fairy tale is over when the princess and the prince get married and live forever after. Why didn't anyone bother to describe it? And why do we think it should be boring - isn't happiness an ideal state?
Let's say person A says something controversial. Five people post to present their support. Person will not only disagree, but also find it completely disgusting. Now comes person A and gets all worked up with Person's B response and answer to it comprehensively, while only saying "thanks" to the other folks.
I understand debating someone who does not agree with you, I don't understand the focus that this is sometimes granted, which justifies ignoring other good points raised by the "supporters".
I've known people who just about sabotaged themselves by refusing to acknowledge their own strengths, accomplishments, worth. They would wallow on self-pity over an issue that was just a small part of a very fulfilling life... such an unhealthy attitude that prevented them from seeing the greater picture.
It's one thing to acknowledge undesirable aspects of your life and think on how to improve the situation. It's quite another to focus on these negative "vibes" and start from there.
Sometimes I can't seem to understand why people go out of their way to make my life difficult. But also, many times people help me for no reason whatsoever, just because. So, really, *understanding* can't be the key here.
I've seen it here on this board, I see it everyday in real life. I constantly fall prey to this nearly *irrational* concentration on all things that go wrong. What I still can't understand is why humans have this tendency. Any clue, folks?
I worked for 12 hours today on red alert. Either I start appreciating the nice things in life or I'm in for another sleepless night.
You encounter many nice folks during your average day. It only takes one jerk to change your mood. Example: everything has been fine so far, your day has just started, and a jerk makes a stupid move and nearly hits your car. Because of that, you arrive in your workplace irritated and jumpy, and many things nice will have to happen before you restore your good mood.
At one point in my life, I got along very well with all of my coworkers, except for my boss. When she entered the room, all my humor was gone. I have no problems with authority and would have had recognized her talents/skills/competence, etc. if there was any. But no, she was the most obnoxious and spiteful person on the face of earth. Obviously, she was my boss, so I had too much of her. But even so she was only one, out of dozens who respected my opinion and appreciated my work, and that included her own boss! Her effect on me was *not* justifiable by anything else than the fact that I was giving her too much importance and, after all, she was only a small part of my working life.
The fairy tale is over when the princess and the prince get married and live forever after. Why didn't anyone bother to describe it? And why do we think it should be boring - isn't happiness an ideal state?
Let's say person A says something controversial. Five people post to present their support. Person will not only disagree, but also find it completely disgusting. Now comes person A and gets all worked up with Person's B response and answer to it comprehensively, while only saying "thanks" to the other folks.
I understand debating someone who does not agree with you, I don't understand the focus that this is sometimes granted, which justifies ignoring other good points raised by the "supporters".
I've known people who just about sabotaged themselves by refusing to acknowledge their own strengths, accomplishments, worth. They would wallow on self-pity over an issue that was just a small part of a very fulfilling life... such an unhealthy attitude that prevented them from seeing the greater picture.
It's one thing to acknowledge undesirable aspects of your life and think on how to improve the situation. It's quite another to focus on these negative "vibes" and start from there.
Sometimes I can't seem to understand why people go out of their way to make my life difficult. But also, many times people help me for no reason whatsoever, just because. So, really, *understanding* can't be the key here.
I've seen it here on this board, I see it everyday in real life. I constantly fall prey to this nearly *irrational* concentration on all things that go wrong. What I still can't understand is why humans have this tendency. Any clue, folks?
I worked for 12 hours today on red alert. Either I start appreciating the nice things in life or I'm in for another sleepless night.
