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15 November 2016

Stop Whining and Start Living: Focus on the Wow

Written by Randy Hartman| Get Our Boomer Manifesto

In these days of bitter political disputes it’s easy to bend under the load of negativism. So much moaning and groaning exists that good people are abandoning social media. It’s time to stop whining and start living.

Yesterday I pulled my coat on and walked into the darkness hoping to catch a picture of the super moon. No luck. Clouds obscured the goal. I set up my camera equipment praying the astronomical rarity might appear. But the clouds only increased. I stood in the darkness looking at the western horizon and started to whine about my bad luck.

In that moment of disappointment I had an idea. Why not turn around to the East and try to capture the sunrise? I walked to the beach and set up the camera. To my surprise the sky came to life. Within minutes the entire sky burst into flames. I’ve never seen a more spectacular sunrise.

Here’s the lesson. If I had remained in the darkness, focusing on my disappointment, I would have missed the glorious sunrise behind me. I had to stop whining and start living.  There was something better but I could only see it when I made the decision to change my view.

This is one of the most powerful ways to improve your life. And it takes only seconds. Stop whining. Start believing your life can be better. Change your view and change your life.

Several months ago my friend Kellie Frazier advised me to stop focusing on the ow and focus on the wow.  There you go. You will never find better advice anywhere. It sounds a little cheesy but it’s difficult to find more powerful words.

Here’s how to stop whining and start living:

Stop focusing on your broken dreams and focus on new dreams.

Let the failures of the past go. Release them. Get new dreams. Chase those dreams instead of lamenting the broken ones which will never materialize. It takes an act of the will. Turn. Dream. Chase. Let go of the ow and focus on the wow.

Stop focusing on lost opportunities and look for new ones.

Marketing guru Seth Godin, tells the story of how he missed the opportunity to make billions of dollars on the internet. Instead of investing in the internet during those early days he wrote a software program. He missed the opportunity but went on to make millions as a marketing expert. Stop whining about lost opportunities. Discover the new ones all around.

Stop focusing on the hurt but focus on all the good in your life.

This sums it up. Turn away from the junk in your life. Stop comparing yourself to your college classmates who have much more than you. Count your blessings. Be thrilled at what you do have. Allow that joy and happiness to fuel you to make more good life decisions.

This is a huge subject needing more exploration. But for a moment, this is enough to get you going. Get out there. Stop whining. Live your life. Turn away from the ow and embrace the wow.

Refire your life.

PS: The picture used in this post is of the actual sunrise mentioned.

Randy Hartman

Dr. Randall Hartman, D.Min., M.Div., is an author and speaker. After serving 30 years as a successful minister he became nationally trained to lead churches through transition. Dr. Hartman started his own website to share his writings with others.

7 Comments

  1. Wes Reply to Wes to Wes" aria-label=' Reply to Wes to Wes'> Reply to Wes
    November 15, 2016 at 5:18 am

    Good thoughts for the day, Randy. Have a blessed one, my friend.

    • Randy Hartman Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman" aria-label=' Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman'> Reply to Randy
      November 15, 2016 at 6:10 am

      Hey thanks! You too.

  2. Holly Reply to Holly to Holly" aria-label=' Reply to Holly to Holly'> Reply to Holly
    November 15, 2016 at 6:49 am

    Solid advice. There’s always a silver lining.

    I had a serious rabbit problem in my garden earlier this year. They kept eating all of my seedlings, I kept replanting. I’m stubborn like that.

    Many of my crops came in much later than usual, like my kohlrabi. You know what I discovered? Fall kohlrabi is sweeter and more tender than summer kohlrabi.

    You might not see the wow right away, but it’s coming!

    • Randy Hartman Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman" aria-label=' Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman'> Reply to Randy
      November 15, 2016 at 7:02 am

      What a terrific example!!

  3. Jase Rosenburg Reply to Jase to Jase Rosenburg" aria-label=' Reply to Jase to Jase Rosenburg'> Reply to Jase
    November 18, 2016 at 10:14 pm

    So much truth here. So many times we miss opportunities to see amazing things because we’re too busy grumbling about something. I deal with chronic pain at times and I find even in the middle of it, if I change my attitude I can find something to be thankful for. Thank you for sharing this.

  4. Danielle Bernock Reply to Danielle to Danielle Bernock" aria-label=' Reply to Danielle to Danielle Bernock'> Reply to Danielle
    November 19, 2016 at 2:54 pm

    I really loved this Randy. What an excellent side by side comparison (moon/sunrise) for such an important and much needed message. I will be sharing this!

    • Randy Hartman Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman" aria-label=' Reply to Randy to Randy Hartman'> Reply to Randy
      November 19, 2016 at 2:57 pm

      Thanks Danielle. I really appreciate the share! You have a great website. Hope my readers check you out.

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