Some might question the decision to launch a blog centered on a positive attitude and upbeat mentality during the worse pandemic in a century with near record political discord and a fair amount of racial strife thrown in for good measure. The thing about being a Chronic Optimist is that it is...well,chronic. This means it sticks around even with a lot of not so nice stuff happening and with many people caught up in anger, frustration and feelings of powerlessness.
It is important to note that optimism as I am choosing to describe it is not naivety or delusion and it certainly is not burying your head in the sand and ignoring the many negative things that are currently occurring. It is choosing to take control of the perspective and narrative that you attach to these serious issues so that you are able to navigate these difficult times with as little negative impact as possible and stand a good chance to be, "Joyful and Triumphant"** both during the current tough times and beyond.
While chronic, we are seeking to offer a form of optimism that is also practical. Our goal is to have a mindset that avoids the unpleasant emotions, immobility and/or negative behaviors that all too often appear when uncertainty and stress levels are high. We will have much more to say on these topics in future blogs but for now an invitation for any other chronic optimists who may be feeling isolated in a forest of fear and unrest to join us. We would also like to extend a hearty welcome to anyone feeling any of the negative items previously mentioned...please feel free to visit our little upbeat circle anytime and know that all of us get down from time to time and that seldom has there been more reasons to do so than now. It is our hope that some of the information and techniques that will be listed here will help everyone to feel more at ease and to move forward in the best directions possible.
Looking forward to sharing some great information and getting some interesting dialogues going. Have a great day!
** "Joyful and Triumphant" was a favorite term of Jerry Gillies, mentor, longtime Chronic Optimist and author of the 2 million copy selling prosperity book Moneylove.