Partly Sunny with the Probability of Happiness
Since we no longer have any local radio or television stations, we depend on the Internet for weather forecasts. We regularly check two sites that follow the weather in our small town and the immediate surrounding areas, and both sites are surprisingly accurate in their predictions. Since the weather forecasts are for the same area, you would expect them to give similar information, and they do… but the difference in the way this information is presented is striking.
Today, for instance… one site is predicting a sunny day with some clouds and temperatures rising as high as 52°F to 54°F. The other site is predicting a cloudy day with occasional sun and temperatures not getting above the low fifties… basically the same forecast but a totally different way of looking at the same information. And it’s always the same… the first site always emphasizes the positive aspects of the forecasts… the second site always focuses on the negatives.
Have you ever noticed how people are like this too? Some people can’t get past the problems in their lives and live every day surrounded by negativity, always seeing the glass as half empty instead of half full. Other people somehow manage to see past the immediate difficulties and focus on the more positive aspects. Although the circumstances can be very similar, the attitude is very different.
Surprisingly, there is almost always something positive to be found in even the most negative situations… a beautiful sunset… a great book waiting to be read… someone’s special smile when you come into the room… a warm, cozy house on a cold winter day… the way you feel when you help someone else. It’s not that difficult to approach each day as partly sunny instead of partly cloudy… and the biggest positive of all is that making the effort to see the positive side of your life actually will make you a happier person.
Written by Shirley | Filed Under Personal, Voluntary Simplicity, Words of Inspiration
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Comments
Comment by Slawebb:
I was just having a similar conversation with my husband. He said something in a negative way, not bad just the way you would expect someone to say it. Then I put a positive spin on it. He then mentioned that a friend had said to him, “If your glass is half empty, your glass is too big.” Something to think about.
Comment by Polly:
This is so true!
Comment by cricket:
See if you can get the streeming video of the news. I know WIVB here in the Buffalo area finally caught up with St. Louis streeming on line. Just a thought and a Big Thank You.
Comment by Dee:
Wow…I loved that!
Comment by Jill:
So true, attitude can make or break a situation. My husband and were once missed a connecting flight by a matter of minutes due to the fact our first plane was running a bit behind. Because of overbooking etc..it was six hours before we were able to get on another flight home. There was a family of four flying the exact same route and thus in the same boat as we were in. While my husband and I chose to look at the situation as a grand adventure and did our best to roll with it, this poor family took a darker look at things and was very put out by a situation they had no control over. We often saw them bickering with each other and acting short tempered with the airport staff. They were so unhappy that my husband and I took to calling them the Crab Family. Guess who finally got on the plane home feeling happy and relieved instead of stressed and worn out?
Comment by Janis:
We owe it to other people to act happy.
I love to listen to Dennis Prager on radio every Friday (10 am Pacific), he also published a book on Happiness.
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