Life is About Options, Make the Right Choice

In it’s simplest terms, you can look at things in two ways – is the half glass full or half empty? Well, which is it?

Ever see that Amy Schumer movie I Feel Pretty. If you have, you probably know where I’m going with this. And if you haven’t — quick synopsis — Amy’s character has low self esteem. She hits her head in a spin class and suddenly she has a new found confidence. Her outlook on life leads her to great things, including dating a guy. If only things had stopped there… She goes on to loose friends and has to re-find herself, but ultimately gains balance in loving who she is and finds luck in not having lost everything she once had. I share this based upon the idea of how you look at life. When she looked in the mirror after hitting her head, she saw someone different. She saw the positive attributes of herself, and, it made her feel pretty.

I recently was watching someone speak. They weren’t strong, and yes, I do hope to have the chance to work with them and help them be better. But even in the struggle of what was really a boring presentation, I saw into the person’s character and understood their experience and only hoped for them to tell better stories. Others in the room wanted to put the person down, walk away feeling like their time had been wasted and found no value. But, how can that be true? Why would I be in this situation if there was nothing to gain?

A friend of mine and I were texting during it and I explained what I’ve shared here. She said, “That’s why I love you. Ever the optimist!!”

It’s about how you look at things. To me, there’s always an opportunity. Not a challenge. A challenge is negative. Yes, it’s great to be challenged in life. But it’s even more awesome to have an opportunity.

A few questions for you. Take a minute and answer them:

  • What feels better – to be mad or happy?
  • How does it feel when someone around you is in a better mood?
  • What’s heavier – frustration or joy?
  • What keeps you from being positive?
  • Can we choose how we see something in life?

Positivity is an important aspect of shine. The energy you omit with positivity can be infectious. You might get some push back from those that are sour, but why let that break you down. It’s the light you create with positivity that can help others see something from a different perspective.

The friend I mentioned above the I text was one of the cynical people I also mentioned. She felt as if two hours of her life had been stolen. But, I can only help but focus on the words she used – love and optimist. To me, she found some joy in my view. And, perhaps, it helped her find some joy in the moment she was in and allowed her to look at it a bit deeper and find a better takeaway than time being stolen.