It's a fairly long article, filled with the kinds of things I've been reading from the self help crowd for years. Steps 1 and 2 merge together nicely. "Let go of the assumption that the world is against you" is idea number one, and "look for the source of your pessimism" is number two. Well, that's easy enough. The source of my pessimism is that the world is against me. Moving on.
The past does not equal the future, and to paraphrase, don't see yourself as a victim. These seem easy and sensible enough. Sometimes good things happen. Yeah, I get that. And although, as a poster adult for the shrinking middle class I have been a victim many, many times, it never helps much to dwell on it. So ok.
"Accept pain, etc. as a part of life but not the entirety." Well, here I run into a little trouble. All the negative stuff just seems to leave so much of a bigger impression. For instance, I can still recall every detail of the time the guy dove into a parking space at the swimming pool ahead of me, then got out of his car and called me a bitch in front of my kids--all because I honked at him.
The doctor who was snarky to me about my daughter's health problem still makes me boiling angry, even five years later. Why is it the one person who cuts me off in traffic has the power to destroy my mood, no matter how perfectly the rest of the day has gone? The person who practiced that random act of kindness, on the other hand, doesn't carry the same weight.
And then we come to point number 6, "Be thankful." The key to being an optimist is recognizing the benefits and possibilities of any situation, and understanding that it could always be worse. If all else fails, think of how life could be worse..." Useless (see previous post).
Okay, mostly this seems like good advice. But what's this practical advice under "tips?"
Look happy. Put on a smile, even if you don't feel it. Because positive facial expressions can affect how you feel.
Ok. I'll try it. More about the outcome in future posts.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment