I mentioned my meeting with an old friend yesterday. She has her ups and downs in life. Still, she keeps smiling and joking and attributes her success to her having good luck. It's so inspiring and contagious to be around an optimistic person.
Her overly optimistic outlook and positive attitude stand out in contrast to some of my friends' tendencies to complain and blame external factors for their own misfortunes or for everything bad. One of them starts complaining every time she opens her mouth.
Very often we don't get to choose how the world should be operated or how others should behave. All we can do is to accept the way the world works and focus on what we can do within our reach. Complaining is not only futile but also weakening our will to be responsible humans.
When we complain and blame others, we play the role of a victim, the weak part, making excuses for ourselves, taking no ownership of our action, and seeking sympathy and comfort from others.
We are who we are because of our habits. Our habitual way of thinking and acting shapes our neural networks, enables us to see the world in certain fixed way. Similarly, when we keep playing victim every day, the victim mentality is gradually built into our brain over time, making us believe that we are powerless and helpless, and others are responsible for anything bad happens to us.
So, keep in mind that we are training our neural networks with the way we think and act everyday. Choose the positive mindset and optimistic outlook to empower us. Choosing to focus on the bright sides of life can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment.