Do You Eliminate the Positives or the Negatives?

If there's one thing I know well, it's that life is good and always getting better. IF you let it. A business associate once told me, 'This is the worst it will ever be. It only gets better and better!' That is an empowering belief!

The pessimists (and the close-minded) will say 'How awful! You're doing so bad it can't get any worse!' Well, OK. One of my friends actually believes it CAN get worse, no matter what. He is thankful for what he has, which he should be, but mainly because 'it could be worse.'

Why is the first statement good and the second bad?

It's relative. The first statement assumes two things: 1. the past is the past and doesn't equal the future and 2. It will ALWAYS get better than it is now.

The second statement assumes 2 things as well: 1. It is a struggle to get and keep what you have and 2. Things are more likely to get worse than better. If not, why the focus on what could happen?

Your outlook on life determines so much. It is your filter.

Do you know what a filter is?

A filter eliminates undesired particles and things from whatever is poured through it. Its entire purpose is to purify what is poured. A filter lets in what is good and pure through while keeping out the unwanted.

We use filters all the time in life. We filter our coffee. An internet search is a filter. We use content filters to keep explicit images away from our kids' computers. The whole idea is to protect, whether coffee, our kids or just our time and experiences.

We also have mental filters. We view the world through these filters and it applies preconceived notions and ideas to what we see, hear, experience and do. If we believe that getting fired is a bad thing (which it certainly can be for most), that is how we will experience it.

But think about this. Several years ago, I was let go from a job. It was a job I hated because of my boss and the environment there. My doctor was encouraging me to leave the job for health reasons. My wife wanted me to leave for happier shores. Not long after being let go, I saw my doctor and she commented how much happier I seemed, even though I was still unemployed.

Getting let go was the best thing that could have happened to my health. We didn't starve or get kicked out of our home. It was actually a positive.

What is a devastating event for one person can be an uplifting, positive event for someone else? It all depends on their filter.

What kind of filter do you have?

Do you eliminate the positives or the negatives?

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