Life challenges us to step out in faith that we’ll succeed and if we don’t we’ll figure it out. It’s the way it is. You have to take a chance on love if you want to be loved. You have to take a chance on opportunities with steep learning curves if you want to make a difference. You have to dare to do what others are too frightened to do to make a breakthrough. Optimistic people leap forward knowing they’ll land on their feet. They agree with Norman Cousins when he wrote, “Optimism doesn’t wait on facts. It deals with prospects. Pessimism is a waste of time.”
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Light it Up
I love the dawn. The dawn holds the promise of a new day. It is offering me another chance. Yesterday is behind me and tomorrow is in front of me. If I look closely at each moment as my day unfolds, I know I can add kindness, optimism, and love to the moment. Suddenly, that moment explodes with enough power to light up my city. William James,known as the father of American psychology, said, “Pessimism leads to weakness, optimism to power.” C’mon, light up the world.
Today’s Thought: Hope is Our Energy
We all have occasional periods of darkness where we slip into a pit and begin to lose hope. When this happens to you, fight it with all your strength. In many ways you’ll be fighting for your life. Hope fuels our belief that today will be good and tomorrow holds the promise of something better. Hope provides the energy to tackle the work we have; we know deep in our heart our work is important. Hope is the fire inside us that lights the way for others who are struggling. When disappointment hits, never quit, continue to hope things will improve. Then, turn, face the challenge, and grab your life out of its hands. Press on.
Today’s Thoughts: Fighting Through the Struggle
The U.S. election didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to turn out. A number of my friends slipped into a funk. I told them, “You’ve got 48 hours to enjoy a pity party before I call for an intervention.” Seriously, who thinks life if easy hasn’t had a good dose of reality. Stuff happens. If the cause is just, a setback is only a source of greater motivation to press forward. Teilard de Chardin, Jesuit priest and anthropologist wrote, “”It is through struggle and effort that man advances, not by means of some fantasy of instant transformation.” Embrace the struggle.
Today’s Thought: Shake it Off
We’ve all experienced times where things don’t go the way we want them to go. Ball games are played and there’s a wining and losing side. Perfect relationships turn into disasters. A secure job is lost when a company goes backrupt or moves to a distant place. There’s only one known remedy, pick yourself up, shake it off, and get moving again. It’s not easy but it’s better than wallowing in anger and self pity.
Today’s Thought: I Met One of the Righteous Ones
I was chatting with a very unhappy guy the other day. Unfortunately for me the contact was unavoidable and I didn’t want to be rude. So, here I am listening to this guy explain how things should be. He was right. He had the answers. He always unhappy because, in his mind he is always right and everyone who does not agree with him is wrong. I started zoning out. On it went blah, blah, blah. After what felt like an eternity, six or seven minutes, I tapped his arm. It was the only way I could get his attention from his monologue. I said, “I’ve got to run. I’m a bit late already for an appointment.” I went to my car. Opened my iPhone and blasted an upbeat playlist. Three songs later I was back in my optimistic groove.
Today’s Thought: Better Days are Ahead
I have an optimistic view of life. It’s not a pollyanna sense of optimism. I’ve been knocked down. I’ve had setbacks. And, I’ve had negative things happen in my life. My sense of optimism tells me that in spite of setbacks I’ll have the strength to get up and forge ahead. My sense of optimism tells me I’ll discover a lesson to be learned each time I get knocked down. My sense of optimism knows that what I seek I usually find. Life is good. It wasn’t designed to be easy. Learn from the setbacks. Refuse to stay down. Rise. Forge ahead. Our best days are in front of us.
Today’s Thought: It’s Election Day
It’s election day in the U.S. I early voted. Did you caste your vote? There’s still time. I’m hoping my candidate wins. If that is not the case, I’ll be disappointed, but I will respect the will of the people. That’s the way a democracy works. Either way the election turns out, I hope the victor is a good leader for the U.S. and works well with other leaders for peace, economic growth, and protection of our environment.
Today’s Thought: There’s No Running Away
Take a cruise. Fly far off to another part of the world. Go into the mountains and find a cabin miles from civilization. No matter where we go, we can’t run away from our self or our problems. We can repress our reality. We can deny our reality. That doesn’t change our reality. Doing the hard work and means taking an in depth look at ourselves and acknowledging the darkness within. There’s darkness within each of us. When we come to grips with it we’ll learn to shine the light on it. If we ignore it, it will destroy our happiness. It takes courage to face one’s self. Sometimes we need professional help. Sometimes a good friend who has the courage to speak the truth to us helps. For those who dare to not run away and instead have the courage to dive deeply into themselves, the rewards are enormous.
Today’s Thought: Someone’s Waiting For You
Someone js waiting for you. They’re waiting for your smile. They’re waiting for a warm greeting. They’re waiting to discover that the space they’re in is safe. We can give this to each other. All we have to do is lose a bit of ourselves and make room for someone else. It’s a game changer.
