Optimism
The world today can cause us discomfort. Where are we headed? Will we live to see a positive turnaround?
Positivity is proven to increase optimism and happiness. As the new year begins, let’s look for proof that all is not bad – it’s a great weapon against despair and negativity!
I was invited to dinner over the Christmas holidays. My host had also invited an old professor of hers from university, and she warned me beforehand about his generally gloomy outlook on life. I decided I could handle him, maybe even turn his doomsday thinking into a more optimistic view on life, using positive psychology.
It was hard work! When the conversation started heading south (literally), there I was, chirping brightly about the new year bringing hope and conviction that all is well with the world. I recounted stories of good deeds, lives saved, and all kinds of things that would make even a doorknob smile. The man stared at me, glumly. I discovered that optimism was not part of his repertoire. Nor, in general, was conversation. He stayed quiet, looking at me as if I was a plant, or perhaps an antique chair. No emotion.
I persisted, this time asking him how he’d spent Christmas Day. Immediately, his countenance took on the appearance of a peppy peacock. He began regaling us with stories of his latest granddaughter. Quite noticeably, his smiles of pleasure decreased the ruminant character of his face.
“See? It’s not all bad,” I murmured. “Children bring hope and laughter to our otherwise mundane days, and everything bad fades away”. “You’re right,” he chortled, generously whisking out volumes of photographs of numerous grandchildren. Thirty minutes later, having exhausted everyone else with yarns of youth, tales of toddlers and babbles of babies, he exclaimed with gusto: “Yes, the world will be a great place, the kids will fix everything that’s wrong with it!”.
Not one to dispute such grandiose predictions, while silently despairing for the “kids” on whose shoulders all the ailments of the world lie squarely, I smiled cheesily and crept away. Job done.
The evening took on a distinctly positive tone after that little exchange.
Despite all the news headlines, there is still a lot of good. The key is to hope and be optimistic for the future. Optimism may come naturally to some, but most people need to work at keeping hope and positivity alive, especially in tough times. Part of this work is looking for the good bits in the news, or around us, for proof that the world is not a bad place. We need to believe that our world is getting better.
I wish all my readers a happy new year filled with success, health, love and many blessings from above. May this be a year of optimism, hope, self-discovery, new beginnings, new relationships, and personal growth!
Email me: bernadette@gogettercoaching.com .