A single word can change your life

I often have to work in 3-4 hour blocks without any room for anything else, not even much of a toilet break unless it's an emergency. It's not computer work or desk work, i need to focus constantly, ans can't check my phone or space out. This isn't always easy cause I love spacing out.

When I started it was new and kind of fun, but as I got used to it I started to dread the long periods where my attention was not my own , where I constantly need to focus on other people. It's hard to stay meditative when all eyes are on you. I often felt like "shit...4 long hours of this".

Not much has changed but I feel much more comfortable now. The only thing i adjusted was the word use to describe 4 hours and suddenly I feel much more positive about my work. Now it's "just 4 hours". There are 24 in a day. 4 isn't too long!

The fact is I don't dislike my work. I just want time and energy for lots of other things. Just a slight change in my perspective makes the difference between finishing a task energized and finishing it drained. Sure, having total freedom to cancel and adjust things as I please would be nicer but why not stay energized despite things not being perfect.

Many times our mood or opinion towards something is tied to the words we use to describe it.

This is why media and public figures can be so influential or even manipulative. When I was in the earthquake in 2011, I read news headlines from around the world. The information in each article was the same but the feeling from reading each article was totally different. An American article about the earthquake made it sound like Japan was finished. The very same information was presented in a Japanese article and after reading it, you felt like things would be ok. The only difference was a few adjectives.

Framing is everything! Frame things in a way that benefits you and life gets easier and easier. "Life is hard" muttered to yourself is like shooting yourself in the gut! Don't force yourself to believe something you don't but don't reinforce negative concepts you have! Reinforce the positive!