Real Life: #2project365 #perspectivechange

     I was talking to Jillian a couple days ago and we were talking about some people not having a lot of stuff.  We have conversations like this often, as I am trying to instill helpful, compassionate, giving and thankful traits into my children. 

   During the conversations she asked, "so when they don't have a lot of things then they're sad?"  I was trying to explain that some people, who don't have a lot are still happy because of the way they think.  They are happy because they choose to be positive and thankful for the things they do have.  I was trying to explain perspective to her.  

 
   I was thinking about this conversation and have to admit that this is something I struggle with.  While I get frustrated with the entitlement and selfishness of my children, I confess that I often display negative and ungratefulness myself.  I complain a lot.  I yell a lot. I am jealous a lot.  I am resentful a lot.  I feel entitled a lot.    And with so much negativity in the world today, who needs more?  I am trying to teach my children to be appreciative, thankful, and positive...if I leave out eloquent language, in short, I don't want my children to be brats.  ."    For fear of sounding Pollyanna-ish (did you know that Pollanna Syndrome is a thing?!?!?!?!?), this is my goal: to change my perspective and change the negatives into positives.  I want to display thankfulness and positivity to my children in a way that they will remember and act it out themselves. 

     I am already currently partaking in my second personal Project365 on Instagram.  This is already a quest for finding little things I am thankful for.  However,  for the next couple of weeks,  I am going to find something in my everyday life to change my perspective  from unfavorable to thankfulness.  It doesn't mean that I am going to  suddenly love doing the laundry, but it does mean making a conscious effort to be positive about "why I have so much laundry.