Anger Misplaced

"Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be." - Thomas Kempis

Almost everyday I am confronted by people who are absolutely beside themselves with anger or frustration caused by what another person has done to them.

I myself encounter these same "trouble-makers" but have managed to find a way of accepting them as they are and trying my best not to put myself into a situation in which they can bother me.

For instance if I know that someone is late everywhere they go no matter how important the meeting, I am not going to break my back to be at the meeting point on time. In fact I will go so far as to arrive exactly on time or even slightly late myself. If I were to arrive at my normal (slightly anal, maybe even compulsive) fifteen minutes before the appointment, then I would be quite unhappy if they were even fifteen minutes late. This way I am not so upset and put out by their tardiness.

It is my thought in life that the great majority of people have more good qualities than bad. Even though my friend may never be on time, she most certainly is "there" when we are together. The woman in my class who is very opinionated and lets her beliefs be known while beating down anyone with a dissenting view helps me with my homework when I really need her. A friend that seems a little "flighty" when it comes to her own life often offers me the best advice for my own.

But the point that hit home about this quote is that there are so many things which I would like to change about myself... eating habits, general laziness when it comes to keeping house, speaking the language of the country in which I live, more exercise, a desire to plan my life instead of living one day at a time, reading more, watching movies less, learning - photography/computer skills/language being a better spouse, learning to listen better... so many things. And for some reason I've never gotten around to changing these things... how can I possibly expect more of someone else than I expect of myself?

What is it that you would like to change most about yourself?