It's another beautiful day here in the Midwest! Aren't they all if we are given the chance to open our eyes in the morning? I hope you all are having a wonderful week (and of course anticipating the weekend)!
Yesterday as we patiently awaited the arrival of the surgeon in his office, my oldest son (he's seven) and I discussed a positive "worst case scenario" involving the broken radius he obtained nearly four weeks ago. I constantly try to see and verbalize the positive and good things in all situations. I knew my son wanted his second splint off! However, I know that it's probably not likely that they remove a cast only two weeks post surgery.
I decided to use my best, pumped-up, energetic, mom attitude to approach the POSITIVE in the situation. You see, my son and others wanted to say things like "Oh, well you can't play baseball anymore & you definitely will have to have a restful summer." While I prepared him for the worst, (which would be six more weeks in a hard cast, no baseball, no soccer, no water) I succeeded! My goal was to get him excited about going into a hard cast and dealing with the frustration of learning to do things with your non-dominant arm. I did it!
I could NOT believe that after all of the negativity he would be excited! I'm not a pessimist, but I feel that if I prepare (as much as one can prepare if that is possible) for the absolute "worst case scenario," then when you receive ANY news that things are BETTER than you anticipated you find yourself elated!
While we didn't talk much or focus on what he can't do & being in a cast for another four to six weeks, we DID talk non-stop about the new and exciting things that we couldn't do before, a cool new cast color, and focusing on the fun things he CAN do! The smile and high fives that took over the atmosphere of the room seemed to drown out a relatives woes and negativity. SUCCESS! I mean, who wouldn't be excited to wear a shorter cast, pick a cool color, and be able to play two more final games of soccer? :) Yes, the list of don'ts and cant's outweigh the dos and cans. The point is, my son never thought of this. Why? Because, I'm trying to teach him to see the positive things and good in each situation in life.
"You keep me going when times are tough- my bedrock, God, since my childhood." Psalm 71:5
How often do you hear "I'm having a bad day!" at 8 a.m. or negative comments due to a situation that CAN be made better by a simple change of perspective? In my case, I have found that some people choose to be negative no matter what. I know that no matter what I ask them about their week, day, hour, etc. there is going to be nothing but complaints in response. Who wants to be around those people? Not me! Have we all been that person at some point? Absolutely!
I think the life has enough tragedies, pain, heartaches, and troubles. I strive to be a ray of light to those who only see darkness. I want to be someone that people actually enjoy being around. Laughter is contagious as is the "debbie downer syndrome." Which do you want to reflect yourself? Which do you prefer rub off on your loved ones, family, & friends? Smile even when you think you can't. Laugh and find the good in ALL situations. Try that for even ONE DAY and see how much further that will get you. If you are an evidence or factual person, pick up a copy of Dale Carnegie's "How to win friends and influence people." I haven't read the book in years, but I'm next to certain Mr. Carnegie would tell you something along the same lines.
"You need not be afraid of disaster or destruction that comes upon the wicked, for the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap." Proverbs 3:25-26
MAKE each day a great day! If you see that you are going to allow spilled coffee, poor attitudes, or others to make your entire day (or even an hour of your precious time) doomed to gloom, recognize it and turn it around. YOU have the power to do that! Make it a great weekend, sweet friends and may you all see God's blessings and goodness around you~
No comments:
Post a Comment