Positive Thoughts

It’s never too late to put joy in your life!

When she was 80 years old, my Aunt Lizzie walked to the mirror and said, with tears in her eyes, "Oh!  Look at me, I’m so old, so ugly!"

How lucky she was, as she could still walk to the mirror, and see herself!

PUT JOY IN YOUR LIFE!  No matter how old you are, you can enjoy your world, you can learn to control your way of thinking.  You alone have the power over the way you see things.  My Aunt Lizzie could have been happier if she thought of herself as able to walk and to see - not only with her eyes, but also with her mind.

Our brain cannot concentrate on two subjects at the same time.  One thought:  I’m too old to drive - another thought:  I can walk to the store!  Which thought would be happier?

You may ponder:  my family doesn’t love me, they don’t visit me. But you could reason, I’m glad they’re doing so many good things.

Anyone can bring up assets that go unheeded.  They are so much part of our life that we don’t even notice them.

A word of caution: applying the principle of "positive thinking" sometimes distorts reality.  In order to appear optimistic, one says that the dinner was "wonderful,"  when it was salty and dull.  Or one feels "great" even dying of cancer.

The difference lies in seeing the good that is there and enjoying it, whereas the other lies in wanting to believe a reality that does not exist.

Easy to change?  Not at all.  Change is seldom easy.  For seniors it is very difficult.  We have been stuck in our patterns.  But change is always possible:  ONE THOUGHT AT A TIME.

Daily I write down what I’m grateful for.  Every morning I write five things I expect to accomplish -- it’s surprising how this simple method helps one’s morale!

Begin every morning thinking about your accomplishments.  You may think you did nothing special!  But didn’t you raise a family?  Isn’t that an accomplishment?  Of course it is!  What matters is the way you think about your life.

Think of all your good actions.  If you delve only into your regrets, you become sad and guilty.  You cannot change the past, you cannot control the future, but you can influence the present.  THIS DAY, THIS HOUR, THIS VERY MINUTE.

Most important, a positive attitude goes hand in hand with good physical health.  Good health makes you feel better, feeling better makes you more cheerful; people will visit you, and in turn, you’ll feel good, your health will improve, and your outlook in life will go up and up.  What a vicious cycle, a happy one!

That’s what I call a wonderful change in attitude.  Unfortunately, Aunt Liz never changed her way of thinking -- she never read this article!

Don’t despair because the results may not show up quickly, but your new awareness will occupy your mind in a positive way.  This consciousness will not allow room for negative thoughts.  In the end, persistence will pay off.

It’s never too late to put joy in your life!

"Celebrate!  Here’s to you!  Enjoy!"

Susana Bouquet

When you realize that success and failure are only what you think...

When you realize that success and failure are only what you think...

When you live for today,

Rather than in the past or for the future.

When you stop looking for happiness

And start giving it to others.

When you want less of what you can see

And more of what you can’t see.

When anything in the world could be yours

And you choose the simple things.

When you have something to live for

That makes you feel alive.

When joy doesn’t depend upon the external

But upon the eternal.

When your life has roots

And your dreams have wings.

When you know the value of love

And value it above all else.

When you never let go of hope

But hold onto it for life.

When you have a purpose to fulfill

That fulfills you.

 

When you haven’t the strength to go on

But you’ve too much heart to give up.

When you aren’t led by your fears

But by your faith.

When you can find something good in the bad

And consider it a blessing.

When you would take nothing

For what is most important to you.

When you realize that success and failure

Are only what you think.

When you know the storms of life

Will pass on to a brighter day.

When you don’t waste time worrying

But use it to make a difference.

When you need something to stand on,

And your standards speak for themselves.

When you accept life on its own terms

And use them to determine your own.

When you are touched by the beauty around you

And the world is touched

by the beauty in you……  

 Copyright 1996 © By Nancye Sims

The Courage to Be Happy.

Do you live as if your cup were half full? How cognizant are you of the fact that what you say is directly correlated to the outcome you’ll get?

If you continually speak of your life as if you never feel good, things never turn out right, or nothing positive comes your way, you’ll more than likely end up being right. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it takes courage to be happy. My great-grandmother Conchetta suffered many indignities and tragedies throughout her life, yet not a day went by without her announcing that she felt blessed with abbondanza: abundance.

You can choose to take all of your experiences and channel them into your own reality show based on fear and anxiety, or you can think of all difficulties as opportunities for creating something new. Negativity is like a big black hole with slippery sides. Once you fall in, it takes a lot of effort to crawl back up.

Many people like the security of the darkness. So if you’re down there, you’ll have lots of company. However, when you decide to come back into the light, the others there won’t help you. They’re stuck in the quagmire and want you there with them, too.

It takes a lot of vigilance to be the guardian of your thoughts, words, and deeds; and you’re often at the mercy of years of conditioning that make you operate as if you’re on autopilot. When you use language such as If only, I wish, or I can’t, you’re dismissing the possibility of today. Why maintain the familiarity of the past or nurse a fear of the future? You may think it’s easier to stay in an unhappy relationship or job or maintain habits that don’t serve you, but ultimately you’ll suffer. In fact, it’s easier and takes less energy to fell good than it does to feel bad.

Lighten Up Your Week:

Steve Jobs once said that every day he would ask himself the same question: “If today were my last day on earth, would I want to do what I’m about to do today?” Try asking yourself the same question. It might end up being a huge wake up call.

Loretta Larroche.