It's How You See It

Is the glass half empty or half full? This is, of course, a common question. We consider those who see it half full as optimistic, while we label the "half empty" folks as not so optimistic.

I'm discovering more that the way we look at things does make a difference. I read a great quote from Dr. Wayne Dyer. It says "change the way you look at things, and the things you look at change".

How true is this? We know that the things we look at don't literally change in front of our eyes. However, I can think of some of examples of the truth of this statement in my own life. When I began teaching at my current school, I was very optimistic. However, some negative things happened and I became disillusioned. So much so, that I began to hate the place. It was difficult for the first month or so, until I made the decision to see things differently. Instead of seeing the school as negative and a roadblock to my career success, I thanked God that I even had a job. I thanked Him that I still had the opportunity to positively impact young lives. I thanked him for the patience to deal with 7th and 8th graders on a regular basis. In a short time, things quickly turned around and became positive. Now, in my second year at the school, it has become my greatest teaching success.

How did this job go from negative to positive? After all, it was the same place, the same job,and the same people I was working with. I know 100% it was that I changed the way I looked at it. It wasn't easy, and I could have never done it it without God's help, but it was when I saw the job as a blessing instead of a negative that the blessings actually began to appear.

Is it always easy to change our way of thinking in a negative situation? Sometimes it's not. However, it's nice to know that we always have control of the situation, and we have the free will to adjust our thoughts to the positive. No one can take that from us.

As we go about our days I find it helpful to put things in perspective. When I think I don't have enough money, I need to remember I am richer than 90% of this world. When I complain about being tired from getting up at 5:30 am, I need to remember that my family and I are very healthy. When I complain about my job I need to remember many people in this country don't have one at this time. The list can go on an on.

The bottom line is that life is great. That is, if you see it that way.

I hope your glass is half full today. Have a great one : )

The Second Blog.....Three Years Later

Actually the second blog on this site. I was bitten by the blog bug (say that three times fast) almost 3 years ago. I did this post, and never did one again until the beginning of 2008. Since then I have been blogging consistently at other sites. I was happy to receive some positive feedback and loyal readers.

At this point, I feel the need to come back to where it all started(my whole 1 blog).
I wanted to bring it to a place where more people would be able to read it. One site I used is quite unknown, and the other is a pay to read site.

Why the blog? A few reasons. One is that I simply enjoy writing. I've always written journals and other things, even though I was pretty much the only one reading them. I started blogging partially to see if anyone else would read my writings. My questions were answered in the positive.

The main reason for maintaining this blog now is that I have grown so much as a human being and a Christian, especially during the past 3 years. I have learned of the power of living with a positive frame of mind, and how a positive attitude results in a positive life. My goal is simply to share what I have learned (and continue to learn)in hopes that others will benefit and grow as much as I have.

I look forward to any comments and suggestions you may have, and look forward to hearing about your positive experiences as well.