What's So Bad About Being an Optimist?
I originally was beginning this post to write about optimism. Not as a way to say you should be one. In fact, I don't even know if it is possible for all the people to be one. There are a few good tricks I have learned from being an optimist though and people often ask how I am able to remain one, even when things are shit.
Then the universe happened. I think that writing about being positive, it just wanted to remind me that things still need balance. Sometimes, I also think that living as an optimist is like a challenge to the world. It's like shouting out, "COME AT ME WORLD! GIVE ME YOUR WORST!!!!"
First - a Bit of Background
Life as of late has been trying at best. It has been a few months where it feels like everything, everyone is out to get me and I won't lie... in spite of my self-prolaimed optimism... I am having a hard time not feeling like a victim. This is the way that life is at times. I get it. We have all been there. Really quick, let me give you the run down.
It has been a long few weeks and while Steem has been a priority, it hasn't been nearly as easy getting things together as I had hoped. First, I was trying to set up our Youtube feed for gaming and interviews and I lost password and for some reason it wouldn't just send me an email. Then, I went to check my backup password files, thinking perhaps I had been a genius and placed them in there and it wouldn't open. It said the file was corrupt. So, no go there. I am going to simply Then my SO, the lovely @RumDancer, her computer charger for her MAC stopped charging and her computer is dead. I had her backup passwords and those are gone in the same files I lost from my computer.
To top things off, recently there was a death in the family... we need to go to California. I am saying this with knowing that this will be seen by Rum, but I am the sane one. I think Steem has been amazing as a place for both of us to get ideas out in the world, but it has been more of a safe haven for her. We may have started here because of the money, as we are both freelancers by trade but we have certainly stayed for the community. So, it seems we are sharing for a while. It's always a team effort anyway and this should help to develop stuff for both of us. Besides, I don't mind sharing.
Considering that we are facing possible eviction if this doesn't let up soon and we can only do so much. But the only option is to keep trying and to keep pushing forward. That is how you overcome these things. That being said, when life gives you a crap sandwich, that doesn't mean you have to eat it.
This is probably more apt...
Life. This is the cycle of life and I have to keep reminding myself to breathe.
4 deep breaths in. Hold. 4 deep breaths out. Hold. Repeat
ad nauseum until we can get this going on the normal order of things again.
So, as they say... when it rains it pours!
OR DOES IT?
It can't rain all the time! Oh the 90s. They taught me so much.
Maybe I am a child of the 90s.
But it's is also true.
When you are down, even when you think that you can't, there is the possibility of going down. My other mantra is GO FORWARD. So, alas, that is what I am doing now. What we are doing now and what I actually wanted to talk about today. I have a theory. When you give up, you not only are quitting on a project... you are also submitting your will to the universe. When something has started, it is in motion. Just because you jump off doesn't mean that it the project, goal or task is going to quit. The universe is not here to cater to your every whim and it's not going to just stop. The world, life, all of it keeps going forward. Nothing stays the same.
With Life Going On... It Certainly is EASY to Feel a Victim
Sure, you just got kicked in the front-butt by the one and only, LIFE... but what do you do now is the question? I was taught that every choice we make comes with a challenge. Priesthood gets their challenges and we don't take it lightly. I don't in any case. I have watched others not take it seriously and they have had a much harder time. Additionally, I have always wondered how people plan on learning lessons if they are so busy fighting the teacher. It never made much sense.
That being said, it is quite easy for me to tell you what to do and how to do it. It is quite another thing to show you the process.
Introducing the Process of Happiness
Yep, there is a method to this madness of happiness. The first step in the method is to stop aiming for happy. Yep, stop. If you are a pessimist, chances are that you have been one for a very long time. Chances are also strong that you have tried to be happier or more positive in the past. Then, as you fell far short of the happiness meter, seeing that the road to optimism is periled with the same shit.
That realization is the moment that I like to congratulate people on waking up.
Optimism is not some thought that the world will be brighter. It isn't juste this make believ the idea that things are going to be okay either. It is simply a choice. Optimism, is ultimately the choice to look for the positive in life and try to extract the good from it. There is always going to be horrible atrocities, in both the world at large and your world. That being said, if you're going to be along for the ride then why not do what you can to be sure that there is something in it for you?
Now, some of you are probably thinking that is a crock of shit. These are the pessimists. Others are sitting there shaking their head and thinking something along the lines that just because they don't see the good in things that it doesn't make them a pessimist. They are the realists. I say if your way works for you then it doesn't matter. What does matter is those people that are upset, wanting things to be different, that are banging their heads against a brick wall that is the universe and who are trying to get something different out of life without trying to do things differently. Those are the ones that I will say to them that even if they have tried before, and it didn't work out, that doesn't mean that it won't. Most of it is about submission, acceptance, and perspective.
The high and mighty don't see the world the same as those on their knees. It is easier to raise yourself up when you choose to kneel down than when you're thrown on the ground.
Ultimately, we are putting together an online lesson and would like to share it with you all. Stay tuned and we'll get you the steps and since we are going to be asking you to do some things, we will be doing them right along side with you.
Because in truth, I don't think there is anything wrong with being a pessimist or a realist for that matter. We all think a certain way and it is like I was saying earlier, there is no reason that you should go against yourself completely. If you are a pessimist though and you are having a hard time, it may be time for you to think outside the box and with that in mind, I would like to give you an alternate way to try to incorporate into your world view.
There was a study that was done that said that when solving problems, optimists tend to think about movement and progression forward. They seek out expansive solutions. Pessimists tend to focus on security and stability. Obviously, there is a time when this is needed. What do you do when your world isn't secure? Do you just stay in a spot of danger? If you're smart, you get moving. You seek shelter, you build defenses or you go on the offense and you kick back with all you have.
Consider the way you think about the world and incorporate what you need from either the optimism or the pessimism camp and stay focused and positive. Pessimists may see the negative but that doesn't mean they need to be a downer
And Finally... When In Doubt
Just remember... when you want to give up... I am pretty sure that they play this on an endless loop in quitter hell.
Because all the good ideas have to come from somewhere...
Refernces:
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/03/17/pessimism-vs-optimism/
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