Thursday, January 21, 2010

OPTIMISM - Glass Over-flowing

I recently posted a video of Jack Canfield talking about optimism. Optimism doesn't mean banishing negative thoughts. It means that when "stuff happens," you bring the positive considerations into the equation, so you see both the positives and the negatives - a true, balanced view of reality.

So when something bad happens, how resilient are you? Is your glass half-empty, or is it half-full?

Let's get real...
  • There'll be glaring disadvantages. But what are the advantages in your situation?
  • You'll be limited in what you can do. But you can also recognize the opportunities.
  • You'll have problems. But you know you can find solutions. With creativity you can even turn your situation into a positive one - maybe even better than it was before.
  • You have weaknesses. So does everyone. What you need to do now is focus on what you have going for you - your strengths.
  • What did you learn today from what happened to you?
  • What did you learn by observing other people's behavior?
  • What happened to you today that was a blessing?
  • You've dealt with worse situations . You know you can handle this one.
  • Who are your allies - the people who want you to succeed? Who can empower you?
  • What actions can you take? What will you do next?
Seriously, realistically...how about glass over-flowing?

1 comment:

Lori Meyer said...

These points make a great list for testing our understanding of our goals, and what obstacles we might be imposing that we weren't aware of. When we look at our goals and the situation we're in at the moment, we can be swept into despair by the "prevailing wisdom" that we hear from others and through the media. For example: I want to start a business, but I'm too old or it's too late. I want to write a book but the world of publishing is too competitive and no one will be interested. I want to {do this}, but I'm not healthy enough, I'm not smart enough, I don't have enough money, it's just not practical....

When we face obstacles, the biggest challenge is sometimes not the obstacle itself, but how to move past the blindsiding that might be coming from the "prevailing wisdom" we've heard -- and to a place that balances common sense with a strong vision and a faith that the good thing we want can happen.