A Dose of Optimism

Brian's blog "Having a Bad Day?" got me thinking about how desperately so many of us need a dose of optimism right now. Since my husband is a fan of talk radio and Fox News, I can't turn a corner in either my house or the office without a speaker revealing yet another statistic about job losses and economy woes. I'm not saying these aren't real concerns, but is it everything?

I believe that when our country starts crawling out of this muck, we're going to be stronger for it. Maybe we needed a shake up like this. It bites, but it's one of those tough lessons we've had to learn about our reliance on credit and bad loans. Maybe we'll learn something about saving and making due with the resources God has given us, as those who lived through the Depression had to learn.

As a community, we all need to take some time to pray for those facing lay offs. Pray that their families' needs will be met and that maybe something even better is waiting for them. Maybe it's a better job or a chance to go back to college or move to a new community. For those who have faced a job loss and found a way to make lemonade out of lemons, I hope you will share your successes. I recently heard some great blizzard stories from some Buffalo Commons Storytellers that reminded me of this Bible verse:

Matthew 5: 15-16: "No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on the lamp stand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven."

For more doses of optimism, read Jack Canfield's "The Success Principles." It has a number of great quotes from inspiring people. Since they can say it better than me, here are a few of my favorites:

"What others think about you is none of your business." --Jack Canfield

"I've always been the opposite of a paranoid. I operate as if everyone is part of a plot to enhance my well-being." --Stan Dale

"Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone." --Robert Allen

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." --Martin Luther King Jr.

"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." --Mary Kay Ash

"The secret to my success is that I bit off more than I could chew and chewed as fast as I could." --Paul Hogan

"Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown." --H. Ross Perot

"It's always too soon to quit!" --Norman Vincent Peale