Because I write weekly to champion the ways that optimism can positively impact our lives, I’m often challenged with questions about being optimistic in difficult situations. There are those out there that my optimism strangely seems to irritate. I do hear regularly from a few people who like to challenge my positivity and wish to prove me wrong. I enjoy the challenge.
This morning I received this. “Now that you have cancer, where’s your optimism?”
My answer is, “My optimism is alive and well and more important than ever before!”
“Do not let circumstances control your optimism.
Harness optimism to control your circumstances!”
Let me share with you a simple process I apply to every challenging situation or circumstance.
“It isn’t my choice to __________ but it is my choice how I face it.”
You fill in the blank.
It isn’t my choice to, a. Be quarantined, b. Lose my job, c. Get a divorce, d. Be passed over for the promotion, e. Fail the final exam, f. Have a major health crisis, or g. You fill in the blank.
What is the most challenging circumstance you are facing today? Place it into that sentence. Negative things happen. Life is full of situations we face that were not of our choosing. The most important thing is how we choose to face and respond to the negativity. Once you place your challenge into the sentence, the next question is, “How will I positively face this with dignity and courage, and in a way that will give me my best outcome?”
If you do this with any and every challenge, it quickly moves you from a “woe is me mentality” to a “what are my choices that can lead me out of this negative circumstance?”
And it’s true. No one chooses cancer or almost any negative situation. For some reason, cancer chose me. I can curl up in the fetal position and wait for the inevitable end that doing nothing will bring, or I can make the choice to engage in the fight of my life, for my life.
Optimism, for me, gives me the courage to fight and win.
What about you? Everyone reading this column is faced with a negative circumstance that is not of their choosing. What is yours? Insert it into the sentence and read it aloud. Then explore the ways you can positively respond to create a better outcome. What can it hurt? Give it a try. No other person is a better advocate for you, than you!
Here is something I’ve learned in my life. Every obstacle creates opportunity. It’s a matter of not focusing on the negativity of the obstacle but looking around for a path to lead you through. Often that process leads you to a better path and brighter future. As I say almost every week, “What you look for, you usually find.” Look for the opportunity within every obstacle that leads you to a better path. It’s there, you just have to positively seek it.
There is a story told of a British shoe manufacturer who sent two of their salespeople to a far-away land to visit a remote aboriginal tribe.
The first salesman sent a message back proclaiming, “There is no opportunity here, No one wears shoes!”
The second salesman, a day later, sent the message back, “There is huge opportunity here. No one wears shoes!”
Two people at the same place visiting the same people, yet each one saw something different and came to opposite conclusions. The first saw obstacles. The second saw opportunity.
I choose optimism and the positive actions that optimism inspires. I refuse to quit. I decide that in every negative circumstance, there is both a positive resolution and a new and better path through or around the obstacle.
It’s not magic, but logic. Even though sometimes negative circumstances can be thrust upon us without choice or warning, we do have the choice of how we meet the challenge.
Choose optimism, positive action, and dignity. I do.
Will you join me?
Gary W. Moore is a syndicated columnist, speaker and author of three books including the award-winning, critically acclaimed, “Playing with the Enemy.” Follow Gary on Twitter @GaryWMoore721 and at www.garywmoore.com.
"choice" - Google News
May 05, 2020 at 12:54PM
https://ift.tt/2W5ppg7
The choice to face troubled times with optimism and positive action - Dallas County News
"choice" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2WiOHpU
https://ift.tt/3c9nRHD
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "The choice to face troubled times with optimism and positive action - Dallas County News"
Post a Comment