Showing posts with label optimism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label optimism. Show all posts

Friday, January 22, 2010

Higher Power - A Force That Moves Even When You Are Not Paying Attention



Regardless of what you have identified as your higher power, if you remain open to it, you can be amazed at the answers and guidance you can find. Some people only use that small quiet voice within as a higher power; others have identified a specific spiritual power. It doesn't matter who or what; what matters is that you remain open to it.

I recently had a real life example of this spiritual force at work. I was not looking for work and was enjoying both my brick and mortar job and my two online businesses. I was doing counseling work with inmates in a medium security prison which I loved. I had helped build the program and was able to see day to day changes in people's lives and families. Online, I was enjoying my combination business which is both face to face and internet and my straight internet work with http://drinkact.tv/cherylmatthynssens and http://EZWealthSolution.com/home.php?balanceguide One day as I was cleaning my email, I saw an email I almost deleted not recognizing the name or subject but something about it made me check it. It was a request to apply for a position in a little town across the state. Curious, I emailed them back for information. Mostly, I was curious as to how in the heck they even knew who I was.

I went for an interview, still curious. I really did not need the job. Things were going well for me financially and personally. I was well liked in my job and had the satisfication of watching something I had helped create within the prison I was employed at work wonders in lives. The position was in a somewhat isolated county. It was small, rustic and warm. It was barren geographically compared to the lush green coastal area I was used to enjoying. But for some reason, I fell in love with it and.......
was not chosen for the position. Where I had not sought the position in the first place, I chuckled and went back to my life, unaware that my higher power had other plans for me.

Four days before Christmas, I received a call that the original hire had not worked out, would I come for another interview on the 22nd of December? Surprised but again curious, off I went and this time I took my 21 year old son for the six hour journey to the remote center. It was a great time. My son saw a frozen river for the first time and made jokes that he was not moving with me if I moved, he was not living any where that a running body of water freezes. (this will become relevant soon) After I left, I had decided I would not take the job. I mean, why move off into the wilds and it would even mean a cut in pay. When I got the call offering the position, it was a warm and friendly call with three individuals. I found myself agreeing to take the job. I sat down afterwards and for a brief moment, wondered what in the heck I had just done.

My family has lived in the county I would be leaving since I was five. I had left it for brief forays into the world such as college but had always returned. My children were raised there and two were still at home and going to school I would be wandering off all by myself? After a few moments of "what in the heck did I just do.." I felt this strange sense that everything would be all right. For me, this is where the story gets a little wierd and it was only after looking back that I could see that my higher power had been at work all along.

My employer was horrified when I gave notice. I had been by her side the whole time. My co-workers were stunned. I had always been there and it was believed I would be there till I either burned out or retired. My family was even more stunned.

I began to look for a place to live by phone due to the six hour drive. Much to my horror, there were no places that were within my price range. I looked for a place to rent, but no one wanted my chihauha in their place. I had resigned myself to renting a motel by the week type room until I could find something face to face. On a whim, I called one place that had been listed the first time I interviewed and that was still in the paper. It was larger then I wanted, I really did not need that many bedrooms. However, I was getting desperate. I called it many times but never got a call back. Finally, I got lucky and someone finally answered.

As expected, the owner said "no pets." Frustrated, I asked for any referral. She listened to my tale and then asked where I would work. She took my number and about fifteen minutes later, she called me back and said I could have the place. I could have my dog.. .no pet deposit. Puzzled, I asked her why she had changed her mind. Turns out.... she would be in a referring agency and we would work together on those referrals. Her house had been sitting empty, and she had not been inclined to call any of the applicants back due to the damage done to the home from the last renters. A shiver went down my spine.

It just continued on and on until today. It snowed heavily before I moved, making me fear the trip with a u-haul across mountain passes. Yet the roads were amazingly dry and smooth for the six hour drive. The house turned out to be only a few miles from work in a quiet area. And then came the news that sealed it as a higher power movement. My 21 year old son calls me. This was what he said. "Mom, I met this girl that I really really like. I think this is the one. Here is the thing, she lives in (town I was going to work in). Is your place large enough that I can move with you and go to college there?" I sat down. The only place I had called with enough bedrooms was the one I had amazingly managed to secure. I, of course, said yes and then made sure to spend a great deal of time teasing him about love and a place where moving water freezes.

Oh, and the pay cut, it was only on paper. Turns out the benefits package was so much better that I didn't even notice the difference in my deposited check. There are many other small and strange factors that add to this experience for me. Probably the most significant was when I stepped into my office (which was not a renovated cell for the first time) I felt like I had come home.

The reason I relayed this story to you is that I could have shut down this strange series of events at any time. However, I remained open to internal guidance and opportunity. I did not allow the many fears I felt at any given time take over in my decision making. Our higher powers, regardless of whether it is more minds then one or a divine being; are offering us the answers we need every day, week and month. The problem is, we often are not listening. Or.. if we don't like the answer, we will shut down the response as "not an answer." The biggest reason we don't listen... we fear the answer. Our lives are filled with opportunities if we do not remains so focused on the problem that we cannot hear it. So remain open to new ideas no matter their source. Your higher power may even send you a strange ... curious email... I know mine did for me!

Friday, December 25, 2009

If You Are Not Loving Life Than Change Your Point of View





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Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts, shared that, "Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one sees the stars."-

In a writing contest, if you’ve placed second, will you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will you be discouraged and find an excuse not to join again?

Life is filled with choices. You may opt to have a pessimist’s view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to take the optimist’s route and take a challenging and fulfilling life.

So why nurture an optimist’s point of view? And why now?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success; to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom from trauma.

On the other hand, the rates of depression and pessimism have never been higher. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15. It is no longer a middle-aged housewife’s disorder but also a teen-ager’s disorder’ as well.

Here’s how optimists are in action and researches that back up why it really pays to be an optimist:

Optimists expect the best

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to believe bad events, which will last a long time and undermine everything they do, are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of this world. What differs is the way they explain their misfortune---it’s the opposite way. They tend to believe defeat is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this one case.

Optimists tend to focus on and plan for the 'problem' at hand. They use 'positive reinterpretation.' In other words, they most likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won’t say “things will never get better,” “If I failed once, it will happen again” and “If I experience misfortune in one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life.”

Positive expectancies of optimists also predict better reactions during transitions to new environments, sudden tragedies and unlikely turn of events. If they fall, they will stand up. They see opportunities instead of obstacles.

People respond positively to optimists

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

Optimism seems a socially desirable trait in all communities. Those who share optimism are generally accepted while those who spread gloom, panic and hysteria are treated unfavorably.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial and sought for advice.

When the going gets tough, optimists get tougher

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective well-being during times of stress than do people who are less optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit trying when difficulties arise.

They persevere. They just don’t give up easily, they are also known for their patience. Inching their way a step closer to that goal or elusive dream.

Optimists are healthier and live longer

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's ability to fight disease.

Optimists’ health is unusually good. They age well, much freer than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age. And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

So why not be an optimist today? And think positively towards a more fulfilled life.

Why not look forward to success in all your endeavors? Why not be resilient? Like everybody else you are bound to hit lows sometimes but don’t just stay there. Carry yourself out of the mud and improve your chances of getting back on the right track. And why not inspire others to remove their dark-colored glasses and see life in the bright side?