Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Optimism

The world is full of many different types of people. Some like to complain and stir up issues. Yet others will always search for solutions and hold out that better things are to come. These individuals are full of optimism and they can sometimes annoy those that like to wallow in self pity. Yet if you can try to think positive then you can learn to appreciate the things in life you already have. Too many people are always reaching for more when so much is right there in front of them.

It goes back to that timeless question of is the glass half empty or half full. Those that see it as half full are very optimistic. They will take what is there and make it as fulfilling as they possibly can. This is why they can be poor or they aren’t the most educated but they are happy people. They are able to count the blessing in their life and not take them for granted.

Being optimistic is a state of mind that a person chooses to have. You can decide if you are going to look for the good or focus on the negative. The reality of it is that you will find exactly what you are looking for. By this I mean if you are looking for how bad your life is you will find plenty of examples. Yet if you want to look for all of the good and the opportunities that you have you will also find them.

It is important to surround yourself with people in life that are positive. Those with a negative outlook can poison everyone so you need to be careful though. Challenge those you know who are continually unhappy to enjoy the good things that they have to cherish. You can also challenge them by asking them what they want to do to change the situation instead of simply complaining about it.

One of the greatest gifts you can give to a child is optimism. They will learn from example if you show it to them. They will have to learn that life is full of ups and downs but they can always find something to bring them joy. This outlook is going to help them to live a very full and happy life.

Hope

Hope is a feeling that a person can have for a particular outcome. It can be something very minor such as hoping it doesn’t rain or that tickets to the movie they want to see isn’t sold out. Other forms of hope are more serious in nature. For example you may be hoping that your dog makes it out of surgery without any complications so they can make a full recovery.

The hope that we have is something based on our personal believes. It is often tied into our own faith and religion as well. For example many people have family member’s right now in Iraq fighting the war. They hope and they pray each day for that person to return safely. They hold on to their faith as it is a way to get though difficult situations.

The benefit of having hope and a positive outlook for a situation is very important. Many people will tell you they just had a feeling that everything was going to work out alright. There has been plenty of research to indicate individuals who have hope recover from cancer and other types of illnesses faster and more often than those that don’t.

Some people keep their feelings of hope to themselves and they do engage in prayer. Some religions openly tell their congregation to engage in hope for themselves, those they know, and the world as a whole. Others give very emotional and motivational appeals about how to reach for hope and what it can offer you.

There are some great books out there that offer great information on how you can become more hopeful. Sometimes life throws us for a loop and we aren’t sure what to make of it. We can change our outlook though by finding things to hope for and to motivate us to keep striving for better things ahead.

Hope can provide a person with the strength they need to handle any situation regardless of what is taking place. Many professionals feel that hope is nothing more than a coping mechanism. Yet for many individuals it is a feeling that is much stronger and much deeper than that. What is agreed upon though is the hope a person has and the depth of it varies by individual.

Wishes

Wishes

A wish can be something a child or even an adult wants to happen. It can be something very unrealistic such as a certain event never ending or a love one coming back to them who has died. A wish can be to get a date with the boy you have a crush on or to earn enough money to buy a car before you go off to college. Some wishes are out of our reach while others we can work to make happen.

There are many different types of events that occur in our world that lead a person to wish. Most of us don’t stop to question why such beliefs take place but we follow them anyway. There are wishing wells that you toss coins into and make your wish. Fountains of this nature are also found in many locations.

Some people say you should make a wish when you see a star falling from the sky. Another popular time is when you are blowing out the candles on your birthday cake. Most people believe that you should never share the wishes you make with others. They are yours and yours alone to believe in.

Making wishes can be fun and they can help to keep us young at heart. The amount of faith that a person has in such wishes though can often determine many things in their life. Some wishes you can be very optimistic about and make a conscious effort to work towards them. Others are merely things you wish could be even though it is very likely it will occur for you.

There are some organizations out there that work hard to make wishes come true for people though. For example they have programs to help families buy their first home. This may seem like a simple wish but if you don’t have one it is a huge thing to think about. For others it may be to get something for Christmas and that can happen through generous donations.

There are foundations out there for dying individuals who want to have one last wish. They work hard to make it happen regardless of what it is. This could be going to Disneyland, meeting a celebrity, or seeing their favorite professional football team playing a game. There is no limit to the wishes a person can have and most of us have a few we would like to see come true.

Faith, Hope, Love

Some individuals out there have so little in the way of tangible things or money. Yet they are very happy people because their life if filled with faith, hope, and love. They are able to embrace the good things enough that they can get over the humps and bumps when life isn’t going there way. Too many people in our society believe that having more money is the way to solve all their problems. Yet there are more than enough of these rich unhappy people out there to tell you it isn’t what you would imagine it to be like.

Faith, hope, and love will definitely be topics found in any religion that you choose to be a part of. They are also found in many passages in the Bible. It makes since that these three elements are so closely intertwined with each other. The love we have for ourselves and others often leads us to have hope that they will be successful and that they will pull through all of the things that come their way.

All of us have different levels of faith that we deal with. Some are very spiritual and emotional. Too many of us don’t take the time for our faith or to explore how we really feel about it. We turn to it when life gets rough but we tend to ignore it when things are going well for us. It is important to remember not to take things for granted though.

It doesn’t matter where you are in your life though because it will be more fulfilling if you have faith and you have hope. Without love to give to others and to get from people you will be very lonely. No amount of money or success can take the place of those things. With that being said it is time to really be honest with yourself and think about what these things mean to you.

Should your answers reveal that you don’t feel them enough as you would like to then make a choice to change that. You can love unconditionally and that will serve you better than worrying about being hurt in the future. You can find things you have faith in and that you are passionate about. Having hope is a way to really focus on the good things in life and to make the best out of what is in front of you.