AOE: Look On The Bright Side
A page in the diary "Accept, Adapt and Appreciate: How?"
Written by nw4m Aug 25 2007 12:03 PM
This was taken from ST RECRUIT Friday, 24 August 2007.
In this article of the above post heading, there are seven practical tips on claiming your own optimism advantage, shared by Dr Terry Paulson, a speaker who helps leaders and teams make change work.
1) Be adventurous
2) Keep learning
3) Appreciate yourself
4) Learn from mistakes
5) Be with positive people
6) Learn to laugh
7) Be happy
I shall pick only points 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7 to share about down here.
1) Be adventurous
Cultivate a continual sense of adventure that takes opportunities. Victors make the best of opportunities while victims whine about how few they have.
Failure to make choices doesn't prevent failure; it just turns life into a slow death.
Never be paralysed by limitless choices; do something one choice at a time!
As Yogi Berra would say: "When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
2) Keep learning
Build a history of lifelong learning instead of settling for obsolescence. You become an old dog when you stop doing new and improve tricks.
Invest 5 per cent of your time in education to stay a recyclable asset. If you hate your job, raise that to 10 per cent.
Search for what you enjoy and have the gifts to do.
Optimism is easier when you have a job that gives you passion, fulfilment and energy.
3) Appreciate yourself
Manage your motivation by catching yourself being effective. You are probably tougher on yourself than on any other person.
Instead of taking yourself for granted, love yourself the way you love others you care about.
If you cannot see how effective you are, you may be winning and not know it because you are not keeping score.
Ask yourself daily: "What did I do today that made a difference?" Use your calendar to write down some success every day.
6) Learn to laugh
Have a sense of humour. It provides perspective that breaks the stress cycle and invites a more positive attitude.
If you know that some day you will laugh at a problem, don't wait - laugh as quickly as you can!
Take your job and life seriously, but yourself lightly.
Never forget that some days you are the bug, and some days you are the windshield. That's a perspective worth remembering in these challenging times.
nw4m: Okay, tired of reading the above already? Here's the last one.
7) Be happy
Finally, experience the power of gratitude.
Unrealistic expectations are a sure road to disappointment. Optimists hope for more, but are not thrown by less. Start counting your blessings instead of your problems.
Choose to be happy now instead of being unhappy until something makes you happy.
Appreciate the words of theologian Reinhold Niebuhr:
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
Thanks for reading, guys. Hope this helps in some way for some of you.
Take care.
Your friendly neighbourhood guy,
nw4m ^_^