::: BEAUTY LIVE IN THE WORLD :::

I remember a conversation with my mother, not long ago, in which she told me that she’d rather tone down her expectations almost to a point of non-existence than be disappointed by things not happening the way she wants them to. I was a bit shocked to hear such pessimism come from my strong and wise mother. It seems to go against the sign of the times, too, with everyone talking about positive thinking, the law of attraction and the likes.

As a coach, I agree with the discourse of optimism. I know how important it is to keep a positive outlook on what you want to achieve. Moreover, I know it is possible to influence your emotions by changing your thoughts from negative ruminating to a more optimistic internal voice.

As a private person, I know myself to be my mother’s son and in my darkest hour, the fear of expecting too much is no stranger to me.

As I ponder on this, I’m reminded of something I remember reading in one of my psychology text books: those who see life as a struggle are probably more correct in their negative thinking than those who view the world in a very positive light. However, this does not bring success and happiness to the righteous and truthful pessimists. The naive optimist, although statistically more often on the unrealistic side of the equation, does have a much better chance of a successful and happy life.

So, even if statistically speaking, more people face failure than success in general, you better make sure your thoughts are on the optimist side.

In other words, the optimists seem to attract more than their share of success. And as I write this, I realise there is no such thing as `more of their share' when it comes to success and happiness. Thinking optimistically, as I try to do most of the time, I know for sure that success and happiness do not come in fixed quantities. We can make it more and we can make it turn our way if we invite it nicely. That much I do know. So positive thinking and law of attraction? I guess I am a fan, be it somewhat reluctantly ...