How do you finish that statement? When it rains, it pours? Or do you have a more optimistic outlook? We talk to people often about the importance of attitude. We get into in-depth discussions about whether people are more positive or negative by nature. Surprisingly, most people can be pretty honest with themselves about whether their glass is half full or half empty.
My glass is almost always overflowing. I’m an incredibly optimistic person. But even I have “poor me” moments. On Saturday, I was shopping with my two young kids, and my sunglasses fell out of my purse when I was getting my wallet. They broke into three pieces, and the person behind me in the line said, “Man, that just sucks.” I found myself instantly replying, “It’s been one of those days.”
As I walked out of the store, I thought about what I had just said. What did I mean by that? I was having a GREAT morning! I had a breakfast date with my kids at our favorite kolache shop and had just finished shopping for school supplies for the first time with my daughter who is starting school soon. It hadn’t been “one of those days” at all! Yeah, the fact that my sunglasses broke was a pain, but let’s be honest — they were $10 sunglasses, so it really wasn’t a big deal in the scheme of things.
My reflection led me to remind myself that being positive is a choice. It’s not always the easiest choice to make, but I can always choose to be positive regardless of what’s going on in my life. It also reaffirmed my decision to consciously surround myself with other positive people. We all have a few “Negative Nancy’s” and “Donald Downer’s” in our lives, and perhaps that’s inevitable. But for the most part, I do my best to have my close circle be people who choose to find the best in every situation. It’s one aspect of my ongoing quest to protect my energy so that I can be the best version of myself. In my life, when it rains, I look for the rainbow.
How about you? When it rains… ???