Daily Inspiration 6-23-10

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift. . . .

You seek problems because you need their gifts."

-- Richard Bach

"Welcome every problem as an opportunity. Each moment is the greatest challenge, the best thing that ever happened to you. The more difficult the problem, the greater the challenge in working it out."

-- Grace Speare

"Try to regard every problem that comes your way as opportunity rather than opposition, as opulence rather than oppression."

-- Russell J Fornwall

It's that old 'glass half empty, glass half full' thing again. . .

It's really funny to me how many times I have heard this phrase from someone. And, my answer is YES! IT IS! It absolutely is. Which of course, if they really thought about what they were saying, they would realize that they are acknowledging the very thing which I promote the most: that we get to choose our own thoughts and our thoughts bring us the results we have in our lives. So they are acknowledging the fact that the choice is there. So. . .

My question is, why in the world would someone consciously choose a half empty thought rather than a half full thought. In writing, I get to answer my own questions, so the answer is easy: habit, observation and accumulated learning from half empty teachers, including parents and friends. Where else could it come from? Maybe we are walking down the street one day, minding our own business, when, out of the blue, a lightning bolt of negativity strikes us and we begin to develop a pessimistic attitude toward everything. . . right.

Think of some of the not so positive phrases that your parents used about various things, like money, your skills, your opportunities, your neighbors, your ______, the ______ and the ________. Then think about some of the key phrases piled on at school, from your friends who learned it from their parents and school, and then there is the television--especially the sitcoms and commercials. Funny, maybe, but teaching, no doubt about it. This is where that stuff came from and continues to come from.

There is a way out.

Decide today to have half full thinking and that whenever you have a half empty thought, that you say to yourself, 'that's the way I used to think, but now I think this.' With the decision and the practice, if I can do it, anyone can do it.

The grass really is greener here. . .

I Am A Practicing Optimist. . . YES!

Spread Some Joy Today--Try for one day at work to just listen to how your co-workers talk. Pick up on the pessimists and see if you find any optimists. Hear the tone, the words, phrases, inflections and emotion. See if you see a pattern.