-
Welcome to Teachers At Risk
-
-
Share/Save/Bookmark
Children's Mental Health Ontario
International Edubloggers Directory
The Learning Disabilities Association of Canada
Nov
9
Neon made a comment about what a relief it was to realize “that I shape my feelings and life by choosing what I want to think about.” It is quite a relief, in fact it’s empowering. Whenever ( well almost whenever) I start to have negative thoughts about a situation or a person, myself included, I encourage myself to let those negative thoughts fall away and choose to see things in a more positive light. I can feel angry, crummy, disappointed etc about something or I can let it go and not bring it into the present moment. Whatever happened, has happened. It’s over. Done. I can’t change the past. I can only affect the present moment. I can choose to be negative in the present moment, or I can choose to be positive in the present moment. It is a choice. Yes, it’s a choice. But it’s not always an easy choice. Sometimes it takes me more “present moments” than I would like it to. Why is it the case I have to work hard at being positive while I never seem to have to work hard at being negative? If anyone has any ideas about this, I sure would appreciate hearing them.
Comments
5 Responses to “Working Hard In The Present Moment”
Leave a Reply
Stumble It!
-
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License. -
Maybe it’s that negative thinking is more habitual. Then there’s a transition time to making positive thinking the mainstay thought-pattern. So, it takes time. Keeping at it is well worth it though! Trying to have compassion for all things aids in developing positive thought.
Andy, Thanks for the feedback. I agree with you that “trying to have compassion for all things aids in developing positive thought” or at least tolerant thought. Tolerant thought is a big deal because it leads to live and let live, And live and let live is a positive statement.
I think that sometimes it can be comforting to think in a negative way. To blame or excuse others, ourelves, and or blame the universe. We look for the easy way out. Self pity can have an intoxicating comforting effect, numbing us away from painful realities and into our own egotistically small, but comfortable world. Growing may require some discomfort, we have to muster courage and effort, not always easy but nessessary.
Dave, upon reflection what you say makes perfect sense. I had never thought of it in that way. Now, when I find myself thinking negatively about something, I’ll think self-pity, comfort zone, easy way out and then muster the courage and effort to grow beyond them. Thank you foryour helpful insight.
Totally agree with Dave. I think negative thought requires less energy than positive. We are a continual battleground for our negativity against our positivity and effort is required to “raise” our states of mind to choose the positive option rather than simply go with the easier negative, which lets us off the hook and/or allows us to give up. It’s why it seems easier for kids to be positive (if naive at times) than older folk, who don’t have the same vitality anymore, AND it’s one of the reasons I love teaching, because being with young people constantly reminds me to look into myself and find that optimism, reinforce my belief in the positive.