Became an Optimist
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Wolran Kim
July 2011
Weekly Gratitude Journal gave to me an opportunity to reflect and remind me to be thankful for life that I forgot in the meantime. It was the process to confirm to myself how many grateful thoughts I have. There are many stories about people who start their lives with thanks every day, but it is not easy to live without forgetting special gratitude for everyday boring life. Also a habit or unconsciously gratitude mind does not mean anything anymore.
A 17th-century English poet left the following prayers: “Dear Lord, you have given me so many things, but would you give me one more thing, the grateful mind please?” It is nothing without a grateful mind even though you have everything you want in this world. The person who can say ‘thank you’ for only one little thing, is a much happier person than who never thanks for hundred things. There are two different thoughts coexisting in my mind; negative and positive. The choice depends on me, and the law of governing the mind is always in my mind. Life consists of selections from beginning to end. From the beginning of a day, should I wake up now or later, what I want to eat for breakfast, read book or watch the Korean drama, ruin my day from negative mind or enjoy with positive mind, etc.—all of these choices are mine. Should I make my life happy with gratitude or suffering with complaints?
Debra Benton said from her book, Executive Charisma and How to Think Like a CEO (McGraw-Hill, 2009), that optimism is not a foolish thought or absurd dreaming, but choosing a way to move forward without the fear of failure. It is also means to be free from unnecessary worry, anxiety, and frustration. Chesty Puller, the U.S. Marine Corps general said when he reported that troops were completely surrounded and isolated with the enemy, the problem is simple, thanks! Now we can attack in any direction! We can find wisdom which makes us braver in crises, at optimism. There are many stories that people reversed their lives by changing crises to opportunities with rationality rather than confused emotion. When we are in crisis, the problem can make us braver, wiser, and optimistic. There are many stories that people reversed their lives by changing troubles to opportunities with rationality rather than confused emotion.
Both pessimistic mind and optimistic mind can be learned. Einstein said that optimists see always green lights, pessimists see always red lights, and a truly wise man is color blind. All happy people have optimistic vision in everyday lives regardless of their social status, wealth, and looks. The power of a grateful mind is not limited to psychology. One report says that affirmative people have stronger immune system and an average of 10 years longer lives. Another factor which makes us lose thanks is greed; the mind does not know sufficing. Thanks cannot grow in conditions of no satisfaction and looking for better one always.
David, Israel’s second king, has demonstrated the power of gratefulness in the Bible. He offered thanks to God every moment constantly. His appreciation was from history of the ancestors to his present life and spells everything out. This is the biggest reason that he had been blessed with so much love. The reason that people cannot show the power of gratitude is forgetfulness, because there are too many. Some say that the world’s most difficult math is counting a blessing given to us. This gratitude journal taught me how I live happily as well as study people’s minds and behavior. I showed a lot less nervousness and this journal reminded me of the most important thing during this semester. My negative view turned into positive, and I learned how find little happiness in everyday life.