Ray's Daily

Ray’s Daily

July 15, 2021

http://rays-daily.com

“Positive anything is better than negative nothing.”

Elbert Hubbard

I feel sorry for the nay sayers and the chronic fault finders. It seems like they delight in making others as unhappy as they are. I really do not want to spend anymore time than I have to on the dark side of life.

Each of us owes it to ourselves to strive for happiness and I know no better way to do that then to staying positive. Here is an edited article I got from Psychology Today that I wish some of the folks I know would take its advice.

6 Ways to Become More Positive Today

Gregory L. Jantz Ph.D.

How can we begin to brighten our view of the world, and infuse more positivity into our thought patterns? Although quite simple, these six steps can make a profound impact on your approach to life, and ultimately create a more positive outcome.

Practice Gratitude. – One of the quickest ways to shift your focus away from negativity, judgment, and disappointment is to list the things in your life for which you are grateful. Be grateful to be gainfully employed, to sleep in a bed each night, for the sun that comes up each morning, for the waiter who greets you with a smile, for the people that love and care for you, and for a body that lets you experience life each day. Practicing gratefulness can cause almost an immediate shift in your perspective.

Two Steps Forward. – Initially, it might be hard to stop the negative flow of thoughts. This shift takes time. Be patient with yourself, and first just try to observe your thought patterns. See if you can catch yourself judging others, focusing on failures, complaining about work, or criticizing yourself or your body. When you observe these thoughts, take a moment to counter each negative thought with two positive observations or gratitudes. Think of it as taking two steps forward after your one step back.

Positive Posture. – The mind and the body have an intrinsic connection—each has a profound impact on the other. If you are struggling to move your mind into a more positive perspective, try moving your body there first. Try standing up straight, shoulders back, chin held high, stretching your arms out as wide as they can go. Feel powerful. Feel positive. Carrying yourself with “positive posture” will encourage your mind to feel more positive as well.

Smile. – Another way for your body to “trick” your mind into being more positive is through smiling. The simple act of smiling, even if you don’t necessarily have anything to smile about, can instantly change the way you feel internally. Whether you are sitting at your desk, driving in your car, or walking down the street, smile. You will be amazed how your mind reacts. Even better, try smiling at a co-worker or stranger you pass in the hallway or on the sidewalk.

Ditch the Crabs. – In other words, surround yourself with positive people. It’s hard to maintain a positive perspective if you are constantly pulled down by the negativity of friends, family, or co-workers. If you get trapped in a negative conversation, gracefully try to change the subject to something more positive. However, if you are surrounded by a bucketful of negative crabs, it may be time to reevaluate your circle of friends in an effort to be surrounded by uplifting individuals.

Do Something Kind. – It’s easy to get absorbed by our own world of misfortune and to forget about the people around us. Stepping outside of your daily routine to help someone else can provide amazing perspective and fill you with positivity. Strive to do one nice thing for someone else each day.

Life is not always easy, and sometimes we get handed a bushel of lemons. However, it is our own perspective that ultimately determines if we will drudge through life puckered and sour, or skip along with a glass of sweet lemonade.

~~~

“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

A.A. Mine

~~~

Needing to shed a few pounds, my wife and I went on a diet that had specific recipes for each meal of the day. I followed the instructions closely, dividing the finished recipe in half for our individual plates.

We felt terrific and thought the diet was wonderful we never felt hungry!

But when we realized we were gaining weight, not losing it, I checked the recipes again.

There, in very fine print was: “Serves 6.”

~~~

“Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses it purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”

Leonardo da Vinci

~~~

George has been seeing a psychoanalyst for four years for treatment of the fear that he had monsters under his bed. It had been years since he had gotten a good night’s sleep. Furthermore, his progress was very poor, and he knew it. So, one day he stops seeing the psychoanalyst and decides to try something different.

A few weeks later, George’s former psychoanalyst meets his old client in the mall, and is surprised to find him looking well-rested, energetic, and cheerful.

“Doc!” George says, “It’s amazing! I’m cured!”

“That’s great news!” the psychoanalyst says. “you seem to be doing much better. How?”

“I went to see another doctor,” George says enthusiastically, “and he cured me in just ONE session!”

“One?!” the psychoanalyst asks incredulously.

“Yeah,” continues George, “my new doctor is a behaviorist.”

“A behaviorist?” the psychoanalyst asks. “How did he cure you in one session?”

“Oh, easy,” says George. “He told me to cut the legs off of my bed.”

~~~

Never say there is nothing beautiful in the world any more.

There is always something to make you wonder, in the shape of a leaf, the trembling of a tree.

Albert Schweitzer

~~~

These are from an actual newspaper contest where entrants ages 4 to 15 were asked to imitate “Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey.”

• “I believe you should live each day as if it is your last, which is why I don’t have any clean laundry because, come on, who wants to wash clothes on the last day of their life?” –Age 15
• “It sure would be nice if we got a day off for the president’s birthday, like they do for the queen’s. Of course, then we would have a lot of people voting for a candidate born on July 3 or December 26, just for the long weekends.” -Age 8
• “I bet living in a nudist colony takes all the fun out of Halloween.”
• -Age 13
• “For centuries, people thought the moon was made of green cheese. Then the astronauts found that the moon is really a big hard rock. That’s what happens to cheese when you leave it out.” -Age 6
• “If we could just get everyone to close their eyes and visualize world peace for an hour, imagine how serene and quiet it would be until the looting started.” -Age 15

~~~

A young schoolboy was having a hard time pronouncing the letter ”R,” and all the other kids were, of course, teasing him about it.

To help him out, the teacher gave him a sentence to practice at home: ”Robert gave Richard a rap in the ribs for roasting the rabbit so rare.” In class a few days later, the teacher asked the boy to recite the sentence out loud.

The boy nervously eyed his classmates–many of them already laughing at him–then replied, ”Bob gave Dick a poke in the side because the bunny wasn’t cooked enough.”

~~~

“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive good things and good people will be drawn to you.”

Mary Lou Retton

~~~

Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.

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