Monday Musings: On Optimism and A Little More…

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Winston Churchill

Monday Musings: Optimism is... a brightly colored wrapper on a barren farm

The Question: Are you an Optimist or Pessimist? Optimist, Pessimist, Realist, Fatalist, Sit-On-The-Fence-ist. 😉 At any given point in our lives, we find ourselves fully engaged or wallowing in one of those descriptions. Does it matter? Yes and No. Yes? How we view our world and live in it has an impact on the choices we make and on others around us. No? if our outlook is constantly pessimistic, much won’t matter until we choose to respond differently. The choice is ours.

On some of my community sites, I describe myself thus: I am a mother of two, sister to many and a card-carrying certified optimist. My family and friends are golden because our love and trust is unequivocal. I’ve traveled, I’ve lived, I’ve had my share of happiness and hurt, and I remain grateful for God’s grace in my life… Even certified optimists experience their share of pain… Still, I choose optimism. 🙂

As complex beings, we vacillate from sunny to sad and back again. Some of us find a middle ground and stay there. Others find more reasons to embrace joy and linger there a little longer or vise versa. This is our nature… I believe.  At the end of the day, what really matters is what you decide to do with your day, your time, your life, your exchanges, your connections, your emotions, your pronouncements and how much of it makes a difference.  Read the poem below and the news on Google’s Speak2Tweet initiative for Egypt. What are your thoughts?

“If you will call your troubles experiences, and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be.” John Heywood

Optimistic Man by Nazim Hikmet
as a child he never plucked the wings off flies
he didn’t tie tin cans to cats’ tails
or lock beetles in matchboxes
or stomp anthills
he grew up
and all those things were done to him
I was at his bedside when he died
he said read me a poem
about the sun and the sea
about nuclear reactors and satellites
about the greatness of humanity

Speak2Tweet
Google has initiated a quick and easy way for Egyptians to get internet access without actually being on the internet. Called Speak2Tweet, it allows people to call a number with a message and immediately it is translated into words and tweeted. See Google’s explanation below…:

It’s already live and anyone can tweet by simply leaving a voicemail on one of these international phone numbers (+16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855) and the service will instantly tweet the message using the hashtag #egypt. No Internet connection is required. People can listen to the messages by dialing the same phone numbers or going to twitter.com/speak2tweet.

How do you handle situations in your life?What makes you happy and what makes you sad? Which of the two(happy/sad) lingers longer in your heart?
Positive Motivation Tip: Look for the positive in the poison; even a viper has its usefulness by teaching us to be vigilant.

Related Articles

• 17 Lessons Learned from being a True Optimist (stevenaitchison.co.uk)
• How to become an optimist (and how to use pessimism to your advantage) (17000days.wordpress.com)
• Optimists or Pessimists (customerthink.com)

PHOTO CREDITS: Fashion in Tobe, Sudan by Jason Carrier via National Geographic

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet