Figmentations

Does having a positive outlook during tough times really change anything?  Granted that a positive attitude alone doesn’t change anything (i.e., it is just one ingredient in the equation), yet I do believe that not having a positive outlook will certainly make the struggle to dig yourself out of trouble much harder than necessary, too.

Clearly, choosing to be stressed, resentful and angry isn’t going to help you.  In good times or bad, being negative will almost always make things more difficult than need be, both in the short- and long-run, i.e., by likely affecting our health (e.g., diet, sleep-patterns, blood-pressure levels, etc.), the quality of the decisions we make , the options we perceive being available to us, as well as the quality of our relationships with the people around us.

Be sure, too, not to confuse having a positive outlook with the Law of Attraction or “The Secret“.  Just wishing for something to be better, without taking any action towards achieving its attainment, isn’t going to magnetically draw happiness or success to you.  What does work, and what is nicely described in a post by Jonathan Fields, entitled:  ”I’ve got a secret: the Law Of Attraction is a lie“, is taking action in a way that: you start behaving differently; people start perceiving you differently; you seek out different opportunities and resources; and small things start to add up.  Time management and patience, i.e., not just working hard, but working smart, are key ingredients that I find are often left out of the “positive thinking” equation, too.  

I believe in personal responsibility, i.e., that we are all responsible for what we think, feel and do.  Yet I also believe that “advice givers” also have a responsibility to give balanced advice, too. 

I understand the need to get people to feel the strong emotions of personal empowerment, but it can go too far and lead to dangerous levels of arrogance and overconfidence, too, and that will never lead to good long-term results for anyone.  

I understand the desire to show people that they can successfully overcome irrational fears and/or to confront fears that they didn’t think they could handle, yet I’m also quite aware of the pitfalls that can come from misinterpreting that “go for it” message which can lead people to assume that they can successfully take on unnecessarily risky actions without consequence of not planning properly or at all either. 

Unfortunately, struggling or suffering will occur to most of us at some point in our lives. Surely, overcoming challenges does build character and does stretch us to know that we can achieve more than we believed we otherwise could. Surely, knowing how to see that silver lining is a tool that we all want to have in our tool belts. 

Yet, I would also want to add to that book of advice that: if we can avoid stepping into every puddle on the path of life, that is a good choice to make, too.  Clearly, we do not need to seek out and prove that we’ve overcome extreme odds and hardship in order to be worthy of success either.

Will people survive and learn from the many missteps in their lives?  Yes, they will.  After all, if there is no failure and there is only feedback, then it’s all good, right?  Certainly, people will learn more from that than if they had sat back and taken no action at all, right? 

Yet, I believe that people can learn ”smartly”, too, by avoiding unnecessary pain by planning properly, preparing appropriately, and successfully confronting their challenges without choosing extreme solutions that could have pushed them over an edge that they didn’t even need to approach.  Missteps will happen, but I see no need to run full-speed into an unknown, especially in the name of “being positive”, when “slow and steady” can win the race, too. 

My advice:  Enjoy the benefits of being positive, but avoid its pitfalls, too.  Take action, but, do your homework and ”be careful out there”!