What do you see?

What do you see?

 

 

Do you look at the glass half full, or half empty? –One of the most irritating questions I think has ever been asked. Alright, let’s be real here guys.  If I were to guess, I’d say most of us have been asked this question before, and would know the “right” answer is half full; then proceed to blurt that out.  Anyway, I’m just going to go ahead and admit; I’m a pessimist.  We’ve all know the spiel about “looking at the bright sight of things,” however the pessimists, like me, maybe think “I don’t want to look at the bright side!”

Now although pessimism can keep us in touch with reality, it can drag us down.  In fact, as I look back, I think my negative ‘tude has dragged me down more than I realized at the time.  Just to give an example, there have been several days where I have awoken from such a beautiful slumber to a demonic alarm blasting in my ears….where it’s easy for me to say “Ugh! This sucks!” Boom. Bad mood is set. And the whole day is to follow.  Seems like such a simple reaction, but it can impact so much more.  When you think about it, pessimism is simply a pity-party and a hindrance from enjoying, fulfilling, and chasing the call on your life. 

What a Negative Outlook Can Do to You:

·         Focus your thoughts on minor conflicts

·         Influence other people’s moods

·         Make your world seem as though it’s falling apart

·         Keep you from enjoying life

What a Positive Outlook Can Do to You:

·         Keep your mind focused on purposeful aspects of life

·         Influence other people’s moods

·          Reiterate the good things in your life

·         Encourage a joyful life

The truth: In the words of my mother, “You have the choice (of how you react)!”

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope Romans 15:13

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it” Charles R. Swindoll

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

In other words, you aint no robot! Nobody “made you mad”, that was your choice of reaction.  When your heart is focused on the purpose, the blessings God has given you, and the big picture, you will find your life to be much more enjoyable.

The truth: A positive outlook precedes joy.

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs  17:22

12 ^1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:2 (The Message)

^Love that.

Now before I conclude, I want you to understand something.  I’m not implying here that there’s no time for grief, and we need to always have a chipper attitude.  Rather, we must remember the things God has done in our lives.  God never promised happiness, but He did promise joy.  But if you want joy, you must seek it! I encourage you to try and step out of the natural tendencies to think negatively, and re-focus on what is good.  I certainly will be working on this myself!

Until next time…

-Tamara