Positivism

Only 3 weeks have passed since the dawn of the new year and boy oh boy, it sure has been an eventful ride. I would like to publish a quote and an essay on Positivism. May we remain positive and maintain a positive outlook in life, always. Never to give up hope and to look towards the ray of light at the end of the tunnel.

“There is little difference in people. But that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” – W.C. Stone

Below is an extract from "A Slice of Life".

Choosing to Be Positive

How has your day been? How is it going to be? If we had the choice, we'd no doubt want each day to be phenomenal - exciting, enriching, meaningful, joyful and pleasurable. But are you exercising that choice? Do you intentionally and consciously choose your attitude each day?

Most of us tend to allow external circumstances or other people to choose your attitude for us. As in, whether our day is a good one or not is dictated by whether we get up on time, whether the kids give us any trouble, whether the traffic is agreeable, whether the boss is in a good mood, whether another big, thankless task is dumped on us, whether our spouse or partner greets us with a smile.

When you choose to live this way, you are allowing external circumstances to control your mood and disposition. This is fine as long as everything runs smoothly in your life. But that doesn't happen often, does it? Life is hardly predictable - accidents happen, machines break down, kids have their tantrums, workloads become seemingly unmanageable. And when you finally get home in anticipation of a tender hug and a sympathetic ear, you find instead another frustrated and angry person who can't wait to dump all the day's tribulations onto your already tired soul.

What happens then? What happens when you have a lousy day?

You see, the problem with not choosing a positive attitude everyday is that we run the risk of getting a negative one imposed on us at the whim of other people and situations. Our mood is then at the mercy of the volatile. But although we can't dictate the weather, we certainly can choose how we react to it.

So what if we claim our right to consciously choose our attitude?

Well, we'd invite more joy into our lives. We often overestimate the influence the outside world has on our mood - like if we encounter a surly cashier at the caf?we feel offended and ourselves become sullen and rude, as if to pay forward this unbearable debt of bad manners. When really, the moment's tension can be neutralised instantly if we choose not to be affected by someone else's thoughtlessness.

By choosing a positive attitude each day, we attract more positive experiences into our lives. The quality of each experience often determines the quality of the next experience - I'm sure you've been in situations where your plans get thrown off completely because something went wrong. But when things go awry, you can also choose to move on without a scratch, thus effecting a better outcome or future experience.

And here are more quotes for a pal ...

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

I had the blues because I had no shoes until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet. ~Ancient Persian Saying

Oh, my friend, it's not what they take away from you that counts. It's what you do with what you have left. ~Hubert Humphrey

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. ~Winston Churchill

Every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. ~Author Unknown

The only people who find what they are looking for in life are the fault finders. ~Foster's Law

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. ~Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan, 1893

In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus, Lyrical and Critical Essays

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. ~Robert Brault

I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else. ~Winston Churchill

I am a little deaf, a little blind, a little impotent, and on top of this are two or three abominable infirmities, but nothing destroys my hope. ~Voltaire

We cannot direct the wind but we can adjust the sails. ~Author Unknown

Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses. ~Alphonse Karr

Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there. ~Norman Vincent Peale

Dear fren,

May you walk out of the dark clouds with your head held high. The sun is shining just behind the clouds. Cheer up and the world is your oyster! :-)