Change

Hi!

Yesterday morning, Joshua told me that he was unhappy. He was unhappy because he was uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable because he was cold. Now, WHY he was cold because the subject for our discussion. He believed that he was cold because the A/C in the house was set at too low of a temperature. I believed he was cold because he wasn't wearing pants.

Clearly, something had to change in order for Joshua to become happy. I explained to him that adjusting the A/C (which I did) wouldn't change the temperature in the house very quickly. If he really wanted to change his situation, he needed to find a way to make the change to himself. He didn't choose to put on pants, but he did choose to lie under a blanket.

I think this is a good example of what most of us go through every day. We can blame external factors as the sole reason for our unhappiness, or we can look to make changes to ourselves that affect our situation. While I was glad to do what I could to change the environment for Joshua, I wanted him to see that he has the power to improve his own situation. I think we'd all benefit from considering that possibility in our own lives as well...

Thanks,
Matt