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I'm neither. But I think a positive attitude can encourage more positive results - so the positivity feeds on itself. And then - VOILA - you're more inclined to think, "Hey, things will probably work out," because...well, because they usually do, and part of the reason they usually do is because you go into things with a positive mindset.
But are optimists born or made?
What if you aren't optimistic and things normally do not work out?
Telling someone to 'just think positive' doesn't work.
What if you aren't optimistic and things normally do not work out?
Telling someone to 'just think positive' doesn't work.
Yes, I agree. If I think that way, I usually get blindsided by something I didn't anticipate. It's almost as if not worrying causes something to go wrong.
What if you aren't optimistic and things normally do not work out?
Telling someone to 'just think positive' doesn't work.
Sometimes that's appropriate advice and sometimes it's not.
Here's my point: Being optimistic can make a person feel better. When a person feels better, they sometimes can think in a more positive, more productive manner, which CAN affect the outcome of some events.
I'm not an unrealistic optimist, but I am not a negative thinker. I don't assume the worst about situations. I don't expect things to turn out badly. I am, however, a very solutions oriented person, so when I'm faced with a bad situation, I tend to roll up my sleeves, take a deep breath, and say, "OK, let's look at this objectively and make the best of this situation." I don't let my optimism blind me to reality - in fact, I gather facts with gusto, looking for a solution. I guess I just figure - based on past experience for the most part, that doing something productive and positive usually makes a situation better.
My grandmother once proudly told me, "One thing I like about you is that you always land on your feet." And she was right - over time I've come to realize that no matter how bad a situation is, I'm able to maximize the positive effects and minimize the negative. It may take some thought, some planning, some negotiating, some regrouping, but things tend to work out.
I think it's truly a matter of HOW we look at things - the old "half empty or half full?" glass thing.
Words are limiting. It's like trying to describe pain. How much pain a person feels is subjective as hell. Also, the more extroverted you are the more 'positive' emotions you feel. So .... 'joy' might be a very extroverted feeling of happiness.
One particular feeling that fascinates me is that of 'wonder'. I used to feel such a sense of wonder when I was young. The world seemed to hold an endless amount of promise. It was a very powerful feeling and one, I think, that propelled me. Probably genetically conditioned that way because that feeling is helpful to the survival of the species.
That's not true at all. Extroverted people are just more expressive and open about their emotions.
Another thing I can never understand is the perception of childhood as a "happy, magical" time. I'd say maybe up to age 5. Outside of that, childhood is, by and large, disempowering. (I'm talking about generations before today's Millennial kids. Nowadays, kids run the households and parents are glorified customer service.) The list is non-exhaustive, and not all items may apply to every age group.
* You have fear of monsters/shadows, and have to sleep alone in a dark, cavernous room they inhabit.
* You can't choose what to eat for your meals, even when it's broccoli and mashed peas.
* You have to go to bed early, while stays up until they choose to.
* You can't work and earn your own money for life's little pleasures. (an allowance is just not the same)
* You have to do hours of homework every night.
* You get an F in school, you get in trouble; an adult gets a bad performance review at work, they get reassurance.
* You're required to take naps.
* You're required to take naps. (entered twice on purpose)
Also if you think about it, kids age 7 and up usually have most of adult responsibilities, and none of the rights. For responsibilities, I'm talking about things like household chores, helping around the house, and school standing in for work (only not paying). For rights, it's things like choosing what to eat and when to sleep, and the rest.
Haha i agree with all of this!
While everyone else misses being a kid,I love adulthood!
I can eat pizza,Mcdonalds,drink beer,and eat cake whenever i want.
"Think positive" is another way of saying "Let them eat cake", only in reference to happiness instead of food.
Heck, I'm surprised Simba didn't find it insulting to be told "hakuna matata" after he lost his father in a wildebeest stampede.
I think telling someone to think positive is like telling someone rhst everything will be all right. There is no knowing if everything will be all right, because we can't predict the future. By the same token, you can't know if everything will turn out bad, either.
Being somewhat optimistic is easier on the people who know you, than being pessimistic. Very pessimistiv people are afraid of being disappointed. I think constant pessimism is a coping strategy that has been chosen to minimize pain. But it does nothing to make one happy. And it can drive others around the pessimist nuts.
My grandmother once proudly told me, "One thing I like about you is that you always land on your feet." And she was right - over time I've come to realize that no matter how bad a situation is, I'm able to maximize the positive effects and minimize the negative. It may take some thought, some planning, some negotiating, some regrouping, but things tend to work out.
I think it's truly a matter of HOW we look at things - the old "half empty or half full?" glass thing.
I winced when I read this.
There are people for whom this does not occur. We know those people who truly try and it always seem to be one thing after another after another...
I truly believe people that 'land on their feet' are very lucky.
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