What Ever Happened To Our Optimism?
I was wondering what to write as my first post.. Then on my morning run, it came to me.
"What ever happened to our optimism?"
What I mean by that is, when we were children we had all the optimism in the world. No one could tell us that superheroes didn't exist, that the sky couldn't be green, that you couldn't be the President, etc. What happened to that? Some of you might say "Life" happened. But could you also say that it was the point of view that you looked at your experiences? We had negative experiences as children too. It probably wasn't until we started doing things that we shouldn't have done that those negative experiences started to limit our imaginations.? Why do we place so much emphasis on the negative? Why do we let what happens to others serve as the premise on what we can do within OUR lives? Maybe they made a wrong step along the way that we wouldn't make. Who knows, but if we don't try we are defined by our limtations, not our accomplishments.
TODAY (whatever day you visit this post) I CHALLENGE YOU to "take back your optimism." Have a day w/ NO EXCUSES.. This will be the most rewarding day of your new life. I guarantee it. While the victory is sweet, it's normally the journey that you appreciate. Think about all the champions in our lifetimes in sports. When they win, what do they say? "It was worth it.. All of the practice, all of the hard times... It was worth it." Maybe not while you're on it, but when you get to your destination and look back, that's when you place value on what you've accomplished.
Now that is a LOT harder than it sounds. If you've always said you wanted to do something, no matter how large or how small, if you have the means, DO IT!! Take a stand, reclaim what's yours..
Quote: "Something easily obtained is not truly appreciated" - Rashard Anthony Walls
I too am not above this mantra. That's the reason I'm writing to you now. I always said I wanted to write and I'm using this blog as my vessel to motivate myself and others. I think the world can be a better place, but it starts within oneself to make a conscious change. Please show that you've gained something from this post to help movitvate me to make more by sharing this link with others and registering to leave comments. I'd love it even more if you left a comment explaining what your goals are and what you've accomplished whether motivated by this post or just to share. Even if you haven't accomplished your goals, but have them, putting it in writing will sometimes give us that extra nudge we need to really do something.
October 16th, 2009 - 08:40
Hey Tony – I’m a day late but still here. This blog seems like the very thing I need right now – MOTIVATION! I agree with your thoughts about optimism. I have been guilty as everyone has about negative thinking, but I’ve always said having a negative outlook sometimes produces negative outcomes. Self-fulfilling prophecies are real. And I love your quote – if it was easy and worth it everyone would do it. Kind of like turning a ___ into a housewife – many men will take that ____ to do what they want at the time, but they’re not trying to wife her. They’ll tell you straight up no I don’t want that type of woman for my wife. It’s the same with everything in life: put some work in and it means that much more.
October 16th, 2009 - 15:40
Well a negative outlook will often spawn negative results. I’m a believer in that as well. Not because we put a negative mystical aura around things, but because it’s impossible to expect positivity without first envisioning the results in a possitive manner. Very rarely, do we get results BETTER than we expected. Have you ever studied for a test under the mindset “well I know I’m gonna fail anyway?” So you might not have studied as hard as you could have with a positive mindframe, and then you got the result and as expected you didn’t do very well?
What you’re describing is leading me to my next blog entry “Investment Strategies” dealing with “short term and long term gains” – Good segway.