“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ~ Winston Churchill
A woman asked me recently, “How do you stay happy all of the time?” My response was, “I’m not happy all of the time.” I am no different than anyone else when it comes to varying emotions.
However, God has blessed me to use the tools He has given me to always see the glass as full. Prayer, writing, reading, talking to family and friends and trying to help others personally and professionally.
These are some of the things He uses to remove stress and worry from my heart. As a Relationship/Life Coach, it’s part of my job to remain optimistic and to help my clients and people in general to do the same.
I interviewed the CEO of Junuri Dr. Juliette Nelson some time ago, and she said to me in a nutshell, that we must use our gifts to help others be better. She mentioned how my podcast, The Heart Matters, is needed. I didn’t see it that way.
Sometimes we need other people to point out things that are right in front of us. We don’t have to be doctors, nurses, or even social activists to be a part of the healing process in this country or around the world. However, there are two things we do need.
“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.” ~ Mary Lou Retton
Optimism and the desire to use our God-given gifts to uplift others. With that in mind, there are two traditions that I reflect upon when I need to put my position in life in perspective. Today, I just want to discuss one.
The tradition states, “If you reach the morning and you find yourself in good health, provisions for the day, and safety, it is as if you have the whole world and everything in it.” This tradition mentions four things of tremendous benefit. If we have them, we are truly blessed. So, let’s unpack this statement.
If you reach the morning… That is an invaluable blessing. That God has chosen to give us another day. To be better, to repent, to make amends, to help someone, to be with our family and loved ones, etc.
How many times have we witnessed someone being alive one day and gone the next? Let’s not forget, the next day is not promised to any of us. So, if we see another morning, we should relish it. Relish it by using it as an opportunity to improve ourselves and others.
You find yourself in good health… Covid-19 has taken so many lives in a horrible way. Not to mention other health issues that people we are close to or are acquainted with suffer from every day.
If this is not the case then indeed, we should be grateful we can do things and enjoy the excellent condition that millions of people don’t enjoy. I can walk, talk, breathe without laboring, and see, just to name a few. There are so many that are deprived of the health benefits that many of us take for granted.
Provisions for that day… Most of us not only have provisions for a day but we have food in the refrigerator and cabinets for weeks and months. There are people in this country who wait for restaurants to dump their trash at night so they can eat what other people have thrown away.
People, here in our great country (America) stand on corners with I need food signs and some of them haven’t eaten for days. We are so blessed if we can go into the kitchen and make a sandwich, have a bowl of cereal, or cook a meal for ourselves and our families. Look around, there are so many reasons to be optimistic and thankful.
And safety… Let’s just think about the healthcare workers during the pandemic for a moment. When they went to work, they weren’t safe. Even if they took all the safety precautions recommended by the CDC, they were still in danger.
Think of Brianna Taylor. She was in her home, a place that she believed was safe, and then, it wasn’t. Reflect on the people of Ukraine. They were in their homes resting and bombs started dropping on them.
Many of us go to work, we go out to buy food and pay bills, we take a ride in our car, we take a walk, and we make it back safely to the safety of our homes. There are millions of people all over the world whose lives are in danger every day.
“Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” ~ Brian Tracy
I’m not insinuating that everything is peaches and cream and that we shouldn’t want to improve our situation. After all, it’s part of our natural inclination as human beings to want to improve our condition. This is one of the ways Satan tricked the mother and father of humanity, Adam and Eve.
He told them that God had only forbidden them the tree because it would make them immortal and like the Angels. Adam and Eve believed the Angels were better than them. Due to their desire to improve their state, coupled with immortality, they ate from the tree.
We should be content with what we have while still trying to do better. There is no contradiction there. I recently made a video about all of us having at least one superpower. But how can we see it and use it to help others if we are drowning in pessimism and ingratitude?
There is another tradition that states, “Don’t look at any good deed as insignificant.” A kind word, helping someone in need, using a gift we have to make another person’s life easier. All of it is good.
Seeing what’s going on in the world is disturbing. However, I’m more determined than ever to use God’s gifts to make the world a better place. It’s a lofty goal. But through God’s grace and hard work, I know He’ll bless me to do it one step at a time.
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This post was previously published on Science For Life.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
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