Tuesday, January 01, 2008

A New Year...A New Challenge


The Think Different Challenge is all about
finding something in your life you currently have negative thoughts or feelings toward (eg work or your mother-in-law), and deciding to look at it differently. It is about realizing that some things are just a part of life, so we may as well try to find the positives in them.

The rules for this writing project are:

  1. Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Follow my suggestions above, or be a bit different and interpret the challenge the way you want :) .
  2. State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
  3. Include a link and/ or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
  4. At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.
  5. That’s it! Just sit back and enjoy reading peoples’ responses to the challenge.
I was tagged by the lovely Rachie over at Play for Life. Here is what I am choosing to think differently about: My lack of patience for stupid, ignorant, arrogant, obnoxious people. I realize that I have a problem with my patience and tolerance level for stupidity. I would like to try to think differently and be more patient and understanding.

For example, this one person told us that "farmers are low level people. They are dirty and the lowest rank in the social ladder". To this, I fumed and thought, "Hey, buddy! Do you like to eat? Where the heck do you think your food comes from????". I got all worked up and so angry that I felt my head was about to explode into flames. Instead of getting so angry when dealing with people like that, I am going to try to:

* learn more about why people say the things they say
* try not to react immediately. Instead, just process the information and respond much later (when I've had time to think about things more and how I will deliver my response)
* walk it off
* channel some of that energy into writing or art work
* instead of letting things get to me, I will do something productive
* try to understand and come to terms with the fact that everyone has different ways of thinking and different opinions and we can't always agree on everything


What are you going to think differently about?

I'm tagging:
Curiosity Killer
Fancy Pantsy Momma
KarenMEG
Gavie's Gal
J

15 comments:

Rachie-Babe said...

I love your take on this! I think there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do it!!!! I like that you're going to try to learn why people might be making the statements they are. Nicely done!

J said...

Seems like a great challenge for the new year, so I'm in. I need to give it some thought, though, so it may be a few days. :)

Stupid people are difficult...I'm glad you're thinking of new ways to cope with them!

Rick Rockhill said...

what a great idea! I may just jump in and try it this week too.

Anonymous said...

I am going to think differently about my boss, who is a total wanker.

Happy new year to you and perhaps one of these days you will convince me to create a blog of my own.

Cheers!

-Pete

Unknown said...

Rachie:
Thanks for tagging me :) Hope you had a great time celebrating New Year's. Catch ya later! :)

J:
It is a great challenge, isn't it? Often times, people spend so much time dwelling on the negatives. This is a great way to see how we can find positives in the negative situations.

Yes, stupid people are difficult. I am really working on being more patient and tolerant. LOL!

Unknown said...

Palm Springs Savant:
Rick Rockhill!!! Is that really you??? ;) How cool is it that you have your own groupies?!? Love it!

Yes, it would be great if you would partake in this little challenge. I'm looking forward to reading your Think Different(ly) Challenge!

Pete:
Your boss isn't nice? I have a question. Is a wanker the same thing as a tosser? Can you use those two nouns interchangeably? LOL! Just curious. Sorry about the grammar question. I promise, I'm not all about grammar! :) Happy New Year to you as well! How was Thailand?

Heidi said...

Oh, this is going to be hard. I'll need to think about this one. Hmmmkay...

Hugs!

Anonymous said...

OK, OK, I'm in!

Unknown said...

CK and Fancy:
Thank you, my lovelies! BTW, I'll be dedicating a post just for your new green blog! It'll be done sometime this week!

Love ya! xo

Cherry said...

Oh my!
That is a stupid thing for a person to say. Not just to you but in general.

Good for you for trying to be more patient. That is a hard one!

Unknown said...

Cherry:
I know! Unbelievable, isn't it? I was shocked by the person's comment about farmers being on the lowest rung of the social ladder. Seriously, where does he think his food is coming from? I almost told him where to shove it, but refrained. LOL!

Unknown said...

People like that really make me want to give them a good kick in the @$$ but this is a new year and I am trying to be more patient. *sigh* Patience is a virtue I am not so sure I possess! LOL!

Karen MEG said...

I'll take it on C. Maybe a couple of posts from now, but I've got something for you.
This past week has been bittersweet, and I've already tried to turn a bit of a new leaf. Life is too short.
Happy new year to you and hubs!

Unknown said...

Karen:
How right you are about life being too short :) Sorry for your loss. Times like this really make you reevaluate priorities in life. You know...I'll try to spend more time with my loved ones, I'll try not to get into petty arguments with my loved ones, I'll tell those I love that I love them, etc.

You've got something for me??? It wouldn't by any chance be another meme, would it? LOL! Hugs from the Island. xoxo

Sweet and Salty said...

Hey, I love this idea! Good luck on your and I'm going to have to give some thought to this and do the same thing.

Thanks, C!

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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