It’s odd that my most condescending tendency was inspired by a Jack Canfield book, the creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul .
In his book (I don’t remember which one) is a reference to a man who uses the phrase “rise above it” to keep calm and carry on when life gets frustrating. When he feels himself being pulled off course by people, or situations, or whatever, he urges himself to “rise above it” and those few words allow him to do so.
The method resonated with me so I tried it. Over and over again I tried it. For me, it works and I love it.
Bank account is at $58…rise above it.
Architect is on vacation for a week and need his input…rise above it.
Got glutened by the dish that is supposed to be gluten free…rise above it.
Screaming kid with screaming parent on the airplane…rise above it.
Mindlessly ate a bag of cookies…rise above it
Dude has 8 items the express lane…rise above.
5:30am is too early to work out…rise above it.
Hot water heater is broken until noon…rise above it.
It’s amazing. Giving myself the prompt to “rise above it” empowers me to just get on with life without wasting energy on things that I don’t need to change.
I like how it is easy to add whatever emotion suits the situation. It could be determination, kindness, or no emotion at all. I haven’t fully graduated to those levels yet. My default is an attitude that I would normally despise. At first, I thought it was a cool, laid back nonchalant attitude. Over time I’ve realized that’s not quite right.
My attitude is more sinister. Still, the world is likely a better place despite that fact.
It feels so good. Some annoying, frustrating, oh no not again, stupid thing threatens to pull me away from my “A” game and I imagine flipping my hair back with a casual snap of the neck and as I do, giving an almost amused glance that says, “your not worth my energy”, and I say, “rise above it” as if I already have. It’s so easy!
Nonchalance? Definitely not. Outwardly expressed, might the attitude get me punched the face in a bar? Likely. Yes, my inner voice is condescending. But it works and it keeps me from spewing venomous energy into the world.
The attitude makes me feel superior to the problem (not the person and that is the key). With that attitude, I breeze right by annoyances. Would I benefit by being a little less smug as I “rise above it”? Most likely. I’ll keep working on it but I’m not there yet.
The ability to move on with life despite what once might have caused me to wallow in misplaced emotion or have a minor meltdown seems like a win compared to frustration, anger and anxiety.
Condescension today, bemusement tomorrow, and simple acknowledgement in the future. One baby step at a time and I’ll be there.
In his book (I don’t remember which one) is a reference to a man who uses the phrase “rise above it” to keep calm and carry on when life gets frustrating. When he feels himself being pulled off course by people, or situations, or whatever, he urges himself to “rise above it” and those few words allow him to do so.
The method resonated with me so I tried it. Over and over again I tried it. For me, it works and I love it.
Bank account is at $58…rise above it.
Architect is on vacation for a week and need his input…rise above it.
Got glutened by the dish that is supposed to be gluten free…rise above it.
Screaming kid with screaming parent on the airplane…rise above it.
Mindlessly ate a bag of cookies…rise above it
Dude has 8 items the express lane…rise above.
5:30am is too early to work out…rise above it.
Hot water heater is broken until noon…rise above it.
It’s amazing. Giving myself the prompt to “rise above it” empowers me to just get on with life without wasting energy on things that I don’t need to change.
I like how it is easy to add whatever emotion suits the situation. It could be determination, kindness, or no emotion at all. I haven’t fully graduated to those levels yet. My default is an attitude that I would normally despise. At first, I thought it was a cool, laid back nonchalant attitude. Over time I’ve realized that’s not quite right.
My attitude is more sinister. Still, the world is likely a better place despite that fact.
It feels so good. Some annoying, frustrating, oh no not again, stupid thing threatens to pull me away from my “A” game and I imagine flipping my hair back with a casual snap of the neck and as I do, giving an almost amused glance that says, “your not worth my energy”, and I say, “rise above it” as if I already have. It’s so easy!
Nonchalance? Definitely not. Outwardly expressed, might the attitude get me punched the face in a bar? Likely. Yes, my inner voice is condescending. But it works and it keeps me from spewing venomous energy into the world.
The attitude makes me feel superior to the problem (not the person and that is the key). With that attitude, I breeze right by annoyances. Would I benefit by being a little less smug as I “rise above it”? Most likely. I’ll keep working on it but I’m not there yet.
The ability to move on with life despite what once might have caused me to wallow in misplaced emotion or have a minor meltdown seems like a win compared to frustration, anger and anxiety.
Condescension today, bemusement tomorrow, and simple acknowledgement in the future. One baby step at a time and I’ll be there.
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