The Sky is Falling…

Yuck! It’s all yuck! The sky is falling, the earth is splitting apart, a giant asteroid is headed our way and we’re all going to hell!

Don’t believe me? Just check today’s headlines or catch the six o’clock news. We’re slogging our way through the cesspool of existence. We’re all just residue tumbling our way through life’s sewer to the Great Disposal Plant in the Sky. Yuck and double yuck!

Now we all know that life is honestly not all that bad. Even though some of us are traveling a pretty rough road not necessarily by our own choosing, many of us are enjoying a whole slew of life’s good things. But we all are being bombarded by negatives from the media, TV, music, coworkers, acquaintances, family and unfortunately even ourselves from time to time. For those of us who aren’t too thrilled with our lot in life, these negatives can have the effect of reinforcing our foundation perception that “life sucks”.

There probably has been the equivalent of a giant library of books and articles written related to the power of thinking positively and the excellent effects of positive imaging and positive attitudes. Many of us have benefited immensely from the concepts presented in these materials and all of the videos and tapes that reinforce this type of thinking. If you haven’t yet looked into any of these resources, I’m suggesting that it might be advantageous for you to do so. Here’s why.

Basically, we have become programmed through our experiences and various sensory inputs, to be what we are now with our individual beliefs, hang-ups and approaches to life. Even if you’re not too sure about the “programming” concept, there is little doubt that we are all heavily influenced by our environment as good or as bad as it may be (or may have been). Our environment will continue to influence our thoughts, attitudes and subsequent actions to some degree until the day we die.

The major question here is – would we prefer to go through the remainder of our lives downtrodden, dejected, depressed, uncomfortable and continually looking at the down side of life …or would we prefer to be happier and be able to enjoy our stroll along life’s pathway? Most of us, without hesitation, would choose the latter. We all can walk the more pleasant path even though our current circumstances may not be all that terrific. It is definitely worth doing!

If you’d like to give it a try, here are a few suggestions to help get you started. First, ELIMINATE, STAY AWAY FROM, AVOID, IGNORE, DISREGARD and STOP ABSORBING THE NEGATIVE CRAP! Second, actively look for the positives in life, set some achievable goals related to the other areas you’d like to improve and start taking the steps to get there.

As a beginning point, you might start by writing down a list of the good things in your life. It’s a “gratitude check” and with just a little thought, you should be able to come up with a pretty decent list. Start with the fact that you woke up this morning and go from there. Add to your list as you go along. (Nature is always a good source for cool stuff for the list.) Keep your list handy because I can about guarantee that every once in a while, things will turn to yuck and you’ll need a boost.

If the “news” is getting you down, just stop watching it on TV and/or stop reading the paper or news magazines. It’s OK to be informed however, if you can feel (Oh dear, isn’t that terrible..!) the emotions associated with the natural disasters, killings, car crashes, abductions, terrorist acts, etc., that likely means you’re absorbing this negative information and slamming it right into your subconscious. Not a particularly great thing to do.

If the other TV programs you watch – or the radio programs you listen to – focus on conflicts or the hardships of life, you might be better off switching channels. If you listen to “woe is me” music, try to find something more upbeat or more relaxing. Or just turn the dang TV or radio off altogether. Take some time to think about some really cool stuff. Yes, short visits to fantasyland are permissible. Be careful if you’re driving though and remember that sometime you’ll need to revert back to reality. (Dang…)

If the people you’re normally around tend to be negative (bitchy, whiney, grouchy, complaining) try to find somebody more positive to hang out with. Yes, I understand that sometimes we’re forced to work with these folks but try to limit your exposure to them as much as possible. And yes, I also realize that we’re living with some of them too. Just do what you can to improve the environment (check first to see if there are some changes you need to make within yourself) and if that doesn’t work out well, you may need to take further action later. Oh, by the way, yelling and shouting – especially in anger – is a GIANT negative reinforcer. Just stop doing it…

If you’re a true beginner with this positive stuff, here’s a sort of a silly place to start. When someone asks “How ya doin’?”, stop answering “crappy” or “not too bad”. Try using “good, thanks – and you?” Or maybe “just fine, thank you”. (You can transition to “Super!!” later on down the road.) This technique may seem a little strange to you however, it honestly does help your mind accept the positive reinforcements you’re trying to feed it. One caution here. If you’re stuck in a sucky situation and not taking steps to improve it, you’re really not “good” or “fine” much less “Super”. You’re just stuck and doin’ kind of crappy. You need to do something – take some action – to try to better your circumstance so there is a reasonable level of honesty in your “good” answer.

One last thought here. Positive thinking and positive attitudes promote positive results. True, the immediate results may not be exactly what you had visualized; they may even be somewhat uncomfortable. Generally though, they will be beneficial and will likely be a good step toward a personal, positive result. I firmly believe that we are here in this life to learn and that life is filled with lessons. So as part of the positive thinking process, take time to look for the lessons especially in those situations that are uncomfortable.

And try to SMILE more! At the very least, it will make people wonder what the hell you’ve been up to….