Always, Always Looking For The Positive

Quick question: Is the glass half full or empty?

Now before you think to yourself "Aww crap this is just more positive psych babble BS"... think for yourself for a second... Would life be easier, more joyful, happier, less stressful if I just looked at things a different way? Of course it would. That is ALL the dumb "glass half full" thing is all about. It's not psycho babble - it's actually true.

Now if this is the last paragraph you're going to read then fine - I wish you luck with your painful life - and believe me, the pain is all yours, you'll create it all in your mind because that's the only place it exists.

If you're still with me, congratulations. Being open to a different way of thinking is really all it takes to change your entire life. The problem is that 90% (probably more) of the population think that's too hard. No wait a minute, those people actually don't think at all, so let's not worry about them. Anyway - rant over... I just wanted to make a point and work out if you're actually serious about having a better life, because here's the harsh reality: No one is going to make it better for you, not the government, not your spouse, not your children, no-one but you. You're responsible for your reality and you can start by simply changing your mind.

I'm sitting here writing this listening to the rain outside and here's the simple choice presented to me: I can think about how crappy the weather is, OR I can think about how cool it is that I get to snuggle up in bed listening to the sound of the rain on the roof. OH AND, the garden's getting watered and the driveway is getting a hose down and the reservoir that feeds my water supply is getting filled up. All of a sudden, rather than focusing on the perceived 'crappy weather', I've turned that into 4 or 5 things to be thankful for.

Wasn't that hard, was it?

What if you could apply a similar principle to everything else that happens to you? Because stuff happens to you all the time - how you perceive it and react to it is a CHOICE... nothing more. My wife left me last year - yes I grieved, I still am today to a degree, but here's what I did. I sat down not long after it happened and I thought about all the GOOD that could come from such a life changing and devastating event. I filled an entire page up and I refer back to that as often as I can or need to.

Is this easy? Yes and No. Some things are harder than others - a marriage break up was pretty challenging I can tell you AND there were our two daughters to think about. BUT I CHOSE to focus on what could be, rather than wallow in what wasn't anymore. A simple decision. Talk about taking a terrible thing and turning it around. Again, that's just a decision. It hasn't been all rosy and positive, but I always have that list to refer back to - a reminder of what's possible, what's positive and what CAN BE.

The glass is half full in everything that happens to you... You just gotta look at it that way... That starts with a decision that you want to live a happier life. It's not about burying your head in the sand when shit happens, it's about choosing to look at it differently.

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