How often to you hear people urge you to stay positive?
Don’t dwell on the negative. Don’t allow those moments that occur in everyday life get you down. Stay upbeat. Be happy. Avoid everything that turns your mood.
You’ve heard that from friends and family. More times than you can count.
Easy to say. Not so easy to do.
The fact is, no matter how positive you are wired, there are constantly those times that are unpleasant to deal with, get under your skin, annoy you, and anger you.
Do we think when we react in a negative way, we are not one of those who look at the brighter side? Not at all.
I’ve seen the other side of those we know have a bright, pleasant temperament.
I understand. I am probably one of those, too.
Attitude is always the key to not being a downer, in my view.
I feel if you are generally in a good place in thought and action, you are on the right track.
There is no such thing as 100% when it comes to this.
Or anything, really.
So, the question is, how do we handle the things that come our way that may ruin the condition of the way we think most of the time?
I have talked to a few folks who are quick to offer an antidote when problems arise.
One said he tries to do do something to try to take his mind off the problem. In other words, go in an another direction and key on that, not the problem at hand.
Another claimed he uses disappointment in his business as an opportunity to charge forward to ease the bad news and work extra hard on getting more positive results.
Still another, switched his thoughts to those who have had far larger and more serious issues, even going as far back as the missile crisis faced by
former President John F. Kennedy.
I would say that the small sample translates into a simple phrase, “whatever it takes”.
They all make sense.
As we know, negative happenings can range from a driver cutting in front of you on the road, to losing your wallet (or even worse, your cellphone), to more serious incidents like trying to survive a financial blow, to the extreme, of sickness in your family.
We’ve all had them, and we’ve all tried to deal with them.
I would like to try going deeper into attitude, and what are the various ways in balancing them.
This is not about offering advice, at least I hope it doesn’t come out that way, although it probably will. It’s more about discussing the steps needed to feeling better about things.
The first thought I have is that there is nothing wrong with admitting to yourself that you are down about something that bothers you.
By doing that, you are not avoiding the reality of how you’re feeling.
If you say to yourself that you have negative feelings it does the job of facing the issue head-on, and allowing that you are no different than anyone else in the world.
There is no way around it. What you experienced was not good.
Perhaps taking the next step in determining how really important the issue is will help in dismissing it quicker, and putting in perspective how serious it is.
If looking to others who have had far more serious issues facing them, it might make it easier in assessing how serious the actual importance of your problem may be.
Maybe breaking down your negative issue into compartments and figuring out how to deal with each one is an answer to bouncing back.
Tackling the problem and working to solve it in your mind as well as the actions you can take could be an answer.
Most of the time, I believe placing how important is the thing that put you off could eliminate so much.
I have had the same issues facing me that everyone else faces.
What I do is face the fact I am not happy with how I feel, either try to ignore it as well as I can, or withstand and endure my negative condition until it either passes, or I go on to something else.
There is nothing wrong in being angry, and being put off.
How long does it last? Does it do damage to you?
To say don’t dwell on a problem sounds like one of those easier said than done admonitions.
But there is something to realizing whether it can be solved easily, or will take some time.
Putting them in a category may be of aid.
Hey, I can do something right now and get back to my usual good attitude.
Or, this is a major issue that’s going to take some time to solve, or erase.
Realize it, and go from there.
I like to think I have a good attitude in life, particularly in these days of retirement from work, but not from life.
But I face the same moments when my mood changes that all of us do.
If your attitude is generally positive, you will get back to that place.
If you think of the good things you have, and I’m talking about family, friends, and experiences, not necessarily the money you have, you can lean to a more satisfied and calming existence.
Of course, faith has been, is, and will always be, the magic formula to true happiness in life.
If you have it, you know what I’m talking about.
If you don’t, it’s there for you to get on board.
That’s up to you.
This is not a plea. Just one man’s belief.
Whatever your thoughts, adopting a positive attitude in life, makes it easier to handle the negatives that arise.
I guess it takes some work.
Just like everything else that is worthwhile.