Dear Friends,
Wow-it's 2005 already! We're half way through this decade and I'm not even sure what we call it. Is it the naughts? The double O's? I have no idea, but I do know it's already half over and it's been a wild ride so far!
One of the best things about starting a new year is that feeling of having a clean slate and all the possibilities implied. Now most of us dirty the slate up by the end of the first week but that's not the point! The point is that you can always wipe that slate clean and start fresh on almost everything you do in life. January 1st holds no special magic as far as making resolutions go, it's just another day, so when you backslide on your resolve just get up the next day and clean that slate again!
Changing your attitude about things can seem difficult at first but it's really like changing the dial on your radio. When there's too much static for you to
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hear the music you just have to fine tune it a little bit to get the clarity you need. The most important thing is recognizing the static, sometimes it creeps in so slowly you don't notice it until it's all you can hear. I think the single most powerful change you can make to your attitude is to shift from a pessimistic focus to an optimistic focus
Don't Give In to Society
I think this change is becoming increasingly necessary as the focus of our culture continues to change toward the most negative aspects of our lives and our nature. The news media has long been known as the "bringers of bad news" so it comes as no surprise that the vast majority of the stories we read and hear about are bad. The popularity of "reality TV" underlines this negativity even more. These shows are popular because of the strife and discord they produce. In general the only way to win on these shows is to get rid of your competitors. Real life success is exactly the opposite. In real life, when one person succeeds it helps the
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whole community, benefiting employers/employees, colleagues and
neighbors alike. The savage game strategies on TV suggest we should celebrate the misfortune of others, rather than sharing the joy of their triumphs.
Pessimism vs. Optimism
Pessimists have a way of latching onto the worst possible cause for adversity -- the most permanent, pervasive and personal one -- not because the evidence supports it, but precisely because it is so dire.
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