If only I was aware .... today ...... all the time ....

If only I was aware today, I wouldn't have gotten so annoyed at everything
If only I was aware everyday, I'd be so much HAPPIER !!!

I get annoyed easily, as much as I try not to, I still get annoyed.
Sometime I only see things from my perspective & I want things done my way.
Although it's good to be efficient n effective, especially in the work place (or everywhere else), the world doesn't work that way.
People are different, they do things differently, the think differently, they have different problems in their lives.

So here's what happen today and how I reacted
(or how I react to every little annoying things most of the days of my life.....)

Story 1
I was at a pharmacy with Person A & he wanted to buy a cheap sunblock with whitening.
(fyi : "whitening" or "brightening" cream is very popular for self-conscious people who are naturally tanned)
When I told him the brand was unknown & a whitening properties on a sunblock might not be the best thing to put on your skin, he insisted on buying it. I got so irritated, I left the store.

I can't understand WHY o why on earth would you want to buy a cheap unknown brand sunblock with whitening ? Even writing this, his action irritates me still.
But If I were aware, I wouldn't have just left the store angrily, I wouldn't have disrespected him by labelling him as an idiot in my mind and think of him as inferior to me.
I should just realize that I gave him a SANE opinion (yes I know I'm right) by advising him to get a better product but I should know that the decision lies in his hands and that he's free to think for himself and he can take responsibility for his actions.
Other than that,
Other than thinking that he's an idiot, I should respect him because, fact is, he's someone dear in my life and who has done SO MUCH for me and he truly does deserve A LOT of respect from me.
So If I was aware of that thought & that fact, and if they came first in my head before I start dissing him off and got angry at him, I wouldn't have gotten so annoyed, instead I would just stay calm and things would've been great today :)

btw... I could always steal that cheap unknown brand sunblock, throw it out and get him a new and better one :) Yes I should respect his decision to buy that sunblock, but sorry man, if something might and could harm you, I should do something about it ;p
See.... it's a win win...... without being annoyed and ruining the day.

Story 2
I find Person B annoying, he sings crappy songs out loud, out of tune. Sometimes he sings like a crazy drunk lunatic and he doesn't drink at all.
Even worse,
His jokes are off.
His comments are annoying, which explains why he has no friends.
Sometimes he acts like a crazy dictator and expect you to "obey" his weird old fashioned "rules"
He complains on every little detail and is quite a clean freak but he's very lazy to do the cleaning himself.
He walks really slow, like a zombie who's really lazy.
Anyway.... I don't talk to him. I don't respect him. I don't like him.
So... everytime he sings crappy songs out loud, I don't like it, it annoys me BIG TIME.
Everytime he makes weird jokes, I would just roll my eyes.
Everytime I heard that he's acting all bossy, I hate him even more.
and I let all that negativity fill me up. I just let it, I'm not aware of his positive traits, of what he does everyday.
Yes he's a lousy singer who specializes in crappy songs, his sense of humor is none existence, and he can be very bossy and super duper annoying,
BUT BUT BUT BUT.......
He is a very hardworking guy, He wakes up early, he spends a lot of time driving in unbelievable crazy hectic traffic and he has to deal with a quite a lot of annoying obnoxious people every day.
So when he got home tired & stressed out, I think he can whine a little and be bossy. (okay, maybe not so much, but it's understandable)
So he sings crappy songs out loud, maybe that's how he vents after a crazy tiring day, so let him.
Even though he complains about little things, he never actually points out someone else's past mistakes (okay he does that sometimes) and he never mentions this one HUGE FAVOR he did and gloat about it.
So, knowing all his positive points, the part where I say "I don't respect him. I don't like him" is way way too hard on him, it's just me being mean.
Because realizing all that positive points about him .... I DO respect him now !!
I don't have to pretend that I like his jokes or talk to him much, but I now think that he's a good guy and I feel so guilty and ashamed to have thought that I was better than him.
I think tomorrow when he sings his heart out, I'd just smile and wish it makes him happy :)
okay...I'll try.... hey man, for me it doesn't really happen overnight, I'm really curious what radio station he listens to that make him sings all those ridiculous songs and I still do get annoyed, but not as much, you see, I'm learning here, I'm accepting, I'm understanding, I'm letting it be and I realize now that he's actually quite alright :)
Baby steps, you see, there'll come a day when he sings all the crappy songs out loud n out of tune and I'm happy about it (or I'll learn to block the voices out or I'll have my mp3 player on) but for now, his singing doesn't bug me as much.
See... that's what happens when you're aware. You realize & admit your mistakes and you try to correct it and be a better person.

quote from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture
"Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out"

Story 3
Don't you just hate it when there's a long line at the cashier and the girl scanning the barcode is working super slow and ignorant of everyone ????
Don't you just want to yell at her ??
What to do ?
Well, you can complain to the manager and hope she gets a warning
or you can stay quiet but cursing on the inside --> really bad for you.
or you can just calmly wait for your turn and stay in a "happy and grateful" / "aware" state of mind all the time.
Why ?
You don't know why she's working really slow.
You can ask her, she could tell you why or she could just lie.
Either way, you won't know "Why?" and it doesn't matter, really.
Maybe she's just plain annoying
or maybe she has so much in her mind, problems she can't solve, financially perhaps or a sickness in the family.
or she's angry at her minimum wage and lack of skill so she's stuck being a cashier all her life.
or maybe she's ill but she still has to come to work anyway.
maybe her boss just accused her of something she didn't do and she just got pissed that she had to take the blame.
You don't know and You probably will never know why.
(unless she's your employee, then she gets a "friendly" warning and maybe a little nudge in the motivation department, etc etc)
But hey.... it doesn't matter......
Don't let an extra 5 mins standing in line ruin your whole day !!

Just realize that other people have issues in their lives, so we need to stay aware that whatever happens to us and our surroundings, we need to stay in a "happy & grateful" state of mind and don't let the negativity brings us down and ruin our day, or worse ruin our lives.
Being aware, being happy and grateful all the time, doesn't mean you smile non-stop like an insane dude, it just means you're awake and you realize what you do and how you choose to let outside things affect you.
Being aware also mean being respectful and understanding to others. Like you have made mistakes in the past and you're now constantly trying to fix them and be a better person, and you try on daily basis, and maybe because you yourself is not always 24/7 "aware", you might still offend other people without realizing it. So other people, too, are probably on the same 'journey' as you are in.

Don't think you know everything, because you don't
Focus on the good of others
Remember baby steps
Be Aware and Be Happy :)
Forever