Sometimes our negative stories cling to us like a static silk scarf. Usually the reason they cling is because we are going about ridding ourselves of them in the wrong way. The only way to make darkness go away is to replace it with light. It does no good to say, “Go away dark” or “It shouldn’t be so dark.” Instead you simply shine in the light and suddenly there is no darkness.The statement that there is opposition in all things means that for every bad something there is a good something. Look for the good! Dwell on it! Enjoy! Rewrite a new positive story. Don=t cut corners here. Fill the mind with the positive story so the negative doesn’t have room to grow. Retell your old negative story by concentrating on the positives in the story. (There will always be some!) Attribute positive motives to the other person. See the situation in a new light.
Almost any author will tell you that the secret to good writing is in the revision process. Perhaps the secret of good living is also in the revision. The milk spills and the negative thoughts start to form, but you can rewrite the thoughts. “Those kids make my life so miserable” can with a little effort be revised to, “These kids certainly keep my life interesting! Never a dull moment at my house!” and “They don’t even care how much work they make for me” can be changed to, “I wonder how many times my mother did this for me? Bless her heart! I need to thank her.” “Don’t they understand we can’t afford to waste milk like this?” can become, “As long as I’ve paid for this milk, I might as well enjoy it! I’m going to have a little fun cleaning this up.”
Some people dismiss this as being Pollyannaish and unrealistic. You can call it whatever you want, but if the milk is already on the floor, why add to the pain by thinking negative thoughts? Give me one good reason! Why wallow in the negative thinking? Why stress yourself or give yourself ulcers? Just revise the story and enjoy. The truth is the milk is spilled. The meaning or feeling we attach to that truth can fill us with unnecessary pain or free us from pain. It is a choice.
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5 comments:
Mom do you remember when you were here and Boyd thought I lost my mind when that water spilled on the chair and I was cleaning it up and trying to have a positive attitude. The best part of that whole stituation is that it made me laugh.
Laresa, You told me about that. It was great. Laughter is good medicine!
It was so interesting that I actually had that positive experience with my son when he spilled a bowl of cereal on me soon after I heard this example in your talk. We ended up laughing about it and the clean-up was much easier. I love all these new ways of thinking that you're teaching us! :)
Wendi, It is interesting how often you end up laughing instead of yelling when you do these things. I love laughter!
This wisdom is definitely from the Source of Truth - - it also reminds me of a lot of the self-help books I've enjoyed in the past - besides the scriptures (which are paramount), are there other good reads you'd suggest? Whence cometh thy wisdom dear friend?
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