Was that a challenge?

So I have been thinking about something a lot lately.  I have been putting forth a huge effort to try and stay positive, and move toward my full potential.  I was just reading an article about how surrounding yourself with people that have more will  power than you is catching... just like a bad attitude.  Good attitudes are catchy.  I also read that they found that obesity is somewhat like an attitude you can catch, too!  But I digress... 

While I love the results I am getting, a small part of me always feels this need to address this annoyance that seems to want to seep into my life.  I couldn't figure out what the problem was.  I feel like if someone does something against me or someone I love that my natural instinct is to jump right in and fight.  But after doing this a million times (maybe more!) I realize that no one wins when that happens.  I was certainly not backing down to the challenge and neither were they.  Then I realized something else.  It isn't a challenge.  A challenge to me isn't someone just doing some sneaky underhanded thing, in an attempt to "ruin my fun".  That's just an annoyance. 

That is something that I do on the track.  If one person seems to be keeping our jammer back, I will just try to stay on them and keep them busy.  I am being an annoyance.  I am keeping them from their full potential at keeping our jammer back, or I hope I am.  In life, though, that just doesn't seem to make sense.  If I spend my time, trying to find fault with other people, or looking for some reason to "get them into trouble" over the most inane rules, then I'm not just keeping them from fulfilling their full potential, I am keeping MYSELF from reaching MY full potential.  Because that is an awful lot of energy wasted on people that don't really affect me.  Imagine what I could do with that energy?  Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't bring to light obvious issues or issues where someone is going to get hurt.  But if in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't affect you, nor does it benefit you, then why on earth would you continue to do it?  Imagine all the wonderful stuff you could do with all that positive energy!!!

So for me, looking at all this, I realize...any time this happens isn't necessarily "a challenge", although, it absolutely is challenging for me by putting road blocks in the way for both of us. Like the awesome players I play against, they know how to shake that off and keep their task of getting their jammer through.  And whenever this happens in the future I know as long as I keep moving forward, keep my goals in mind and keep my feet moving... I am going to come out of this just fine.  I don't even ever have to do anything other than just mind my business and watch for the next thing in my life to celebrate. 

XOXO