I was drawn to a post about the biggest lies on AR. The author wrote a funny and entertaining piece about lies told on AR. In reading the massive list of commentary-some of which was even more hilarious than the original post- I ran across this excerpt (one response):
[...I have an addition to the list.
"I am a fountain of positivity!"
This whopper is usually told by someone masquerading as the most upbeat and encouraging person on AR, when lo and behold they reveal themselves to be among the most judgemental and petty. "Live and let live ... as long as you live and act like I do."]
Although this responder hadn't targeted me personally, his one comment really made me stop and reevaluate my own participation here because I have tried to be a champion for Good News as of late. As for being judgemental and petty, I'd hope that that isn't me. But, we all make choices out here and we all discriminate each time we choose one thing over another.
So, I asked myself why I do this positive posting thingy, and here is what I came up with:
1. All the posts of DOOM and GLOOM have really begun to get me down and made me a more unhappy guy.
-by sharing and spreading only good news, I have sought to reverse that trend in others as well as myself.
2. I have personally (whether others choose to believe this or not) seen what "the power of positive thinking" has been able to affect in my own life. I believe that, at least, acting upbeat will help you to become upbeat and that "fake it until you make it" is a philosophy that will bring each of us through a particularly rough time.
-We each make the choice to take on the new day when we rise. Choosing to take it on in a friendlier, happier way is merely an extension of that. After all, if we had chosen to pull the covers over our head and do nothing, we would guarantee NOTHING good could or would happen in our life today.
3. I tend to take things personally...business or not. Writing about or saying positively reinforcing things helps me BE more positive. KEY POINT: Being happy can be a choice one makes verses simply a state of mind.
-I've always worn my heart on my sleeve. The people I work with, my family and friends and even acquaintences often comment that I am a particularly straight arrow and a bit of a goody-goody. Aside from the occasional bend of "the basic speed law" when behind the wheel, they are right about me. I have a job where fraud is a big deal. I've been DOJ background checked for two of my certifications and fingerprinted too. I tell the truth to people I work with and for and I make affiants raise their right hand and swear an oath (of truth) several times each week. You might say honesty is my business.
4. Knocking someone down is always easier than picking someone up, helping them find their feet and giving them a supportive comment as they restart their journey.
-as both a blessing and a curse, I have always chosen a more difficult path in my own life. Certainly for me, being self-employed in a mortgage market that has literally dwindled down to next-to-nothing (believe it or not) is better than grinding away at a dead-end job that I'd hate.
I belive that continuing to spread the good news that I find is better than telling everyone the sky is falling or telling those I meet that the end is at hand. I believe that tomorrow will be better than today, the sky is NOT falling and that the glass really is half-full. I believe we need to keep our chins up and our eyes on the prize.
Have I proven myself to be corny and old-fashioned in my thinking here? A bit of a square? Guilty as charged!! But, better than the alternative right?:
"A Quick Note"
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