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Thinking positive for 2009! Who else is gonna try this?

lprstn

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:cheer: Well with the new year, I am going to do some self motivation for the new year. 2008 is behind me and this new year, I refuse to hold on to negativity. Whenever a bad situation hits, as they always do, I will look for the gold lining. Whenever I feel like whining about what plans I have that did not happen the way I wanted, I am gonna remember the people I met this year, that were terminally ill, but had a smile on their faces, and hope for their future, and realize that with every breath I take, I can always get up, dust myself off of any situation, and run a better race the next time. Who will join me in this endeavor? Heck, what is yours for 2009?
 

rickandcindy23

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I had a positive, life-changing experience two weeks ago, and with that having happened to me, I will say that I agree with you completely. I won't discuss my experience here, but needless to say, it was extraordinary.

No need to be negative or pessimistic because nothing is worth dragging your whole life down.
 

Jbart74

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I had a life changing experience about 5 years ago. Went (unexpectedly) to a dead place for about 7 minutes. Brought back to life by one of my best friends or fate, not sure where to believe on that one. Anyway, I lived.

I thought my life would change in amazing ways after that. It did, but only for a few months. Then I was just me again.

I'm a better person now, but not because of that. It might have helped, but it didn't cure me of all things stupid or careless.

That you have to do on your own. :hi:

EDIT: On a much more positive note...! Please, everyone, check out www.kiva.org and make a positive change in someone's life on the other side of the world. It's an investment in humanity and I have vetted it completely! Merry Christmas!
 
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JudyS

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:cheer: Well with the new year, I am going to do some self motivation for the new year. 2008 is behind me and this new year, I refuse to hold on to negativity. Whenever a bad situation hits, as they always do, I will look for the gold lining. Whenever I feel like whining about what plans I have that did not happen the way I wanted, I am gonna remember the people I met this year, that were terminally ill, but had a smile on their faces, and hope for their future, and realize that with every breath I take, I can always get up, dust myself off of any situation, and run a better race the next time. Who will join me in this endeavor? Heck, what is yours for 2009?
Hey, given that we are timeshare owners, shouldn't we look for the "Platinum Plus" lining? "Gold" is usually just shoulder season! ;)

In my life, I've had quite a few bad things happen to me, and there were quite a few good things that I wanted which never happened. Most of the time, though, I manage to stay fairly positive. Long ago, I figured out that dwelling on the bad stuff just made me feel worse. So, I try to look at what I do have, not want I don't. A saying I really like is, "It's not having what you want, it wanting what you have."

Putting on my psychologist hat here (I have a PhD in psychology), there are specific techniques that people can use to train themselves to look on the bright side. These techniques make up a field called "Cognitive therapy." You don't necessarily need to go to a therapist to learn these techniques, though (unless you are clinically depressed or anxious.) There is an excellent series of self-help books that teach these techniques. The original book is "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy" by David Burns. It is available in a revised version, and there are several sequels (such as a workbook), too. You can get a new copy of the revised version for $8 plus shipping on Amazon, or a used copy for $5 with shipping. That would be 5 of the best dollars you've ever spent!

For people who are clinically depressed, self-help books aren't enough. In addition to therapy, in many cases medication may be needed. If a person does want to try anti-depressant medication, I strongly suggest such seeing a psychiatrist for the prescription, rather than a family practitioner or other primary care physician. There are many more anti-depressant drugs than there used to be, and non-specialists are unlikely to be familiar with them all.

Regardless of whether a person is facing garden-variety negativity or major depression, or anything in between, it definitely pays to try to be positive. There is a lot that can be done to help the process.
 

Rose Pink

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I practice cognitive therapy. It is a wonderful tool. Since all thought and all emotion is communicated in brain chemistry, changing your thoughts can change your emotions because it instantly changes the neurochemical mix. I've also found that changing my posture changes my emotions. If I stand up straight and pull my shoulders back, I feel less depressed. Deliberately smiling also is a mood enhancer.

Gratitude is the biggest help. I once had an aikido sensei advise us to say "thank you" for the attack because without the attack we couldn't practice the art of aikido (a defensive martial art). I extended that to the "attacks" life throws my way. For example, if the line at the grocery store is long, I can say thank you for the opportunity to practice patience. If someone is rude, I can say thank you for the opportunity to practice tolerance and forgiveness. (Of course, I say it to myself--don't want to escalate the situation by saying it to the other person. ;) ) I try to remember that bad things happen so that I can practice being a good person. I mess up daily but I do feel wonderful when I succeed.
 

BocaBum99

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:cheer: Well with the new year, I am going to do some self motivation for the new year. 2008 is behind me and this new year, I refuse to hold on to negativity. Whenever a bad situation hits, as they always do, I will look for the gold lining. Whenever I feel like whining about what plans I have that did not happen the way I wanted, I am gonna remember the people I met this year, that were terminally ill, but had a smile on their faces, and hope for their future, and realize that with every breath I take, I can always get up, dust myself off of any situation, and run a better race the next time. Who will join me in this endeavor? Heck, what is yours for 2009?

2009 is going to be great. I am going to run in my very first race. An 8.2 mile run. Prior to the training I am doing, I've never run more than about a mile. I just ran 5 miles the other day. And, I am taking up tennis again. I still need to lose about 15 pounds. I think the above will help me get there.

I find that when things go really badly, it's time to focus on what you can actually do something about.
 

rickandcindy23

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Boca, you looked pretty thin to me. I think you and Rick were cut from the same cloth, because he is also thin and thinks he needs to lose about 20 pounds (and talks about it all the time).

I don't even want to think about how much I need to lose because the constant dieting was making me an unhappy person for a long time, especially after dealing with severe health issues for several years and finally being done with those problems. It was a conflict because I was ecstatic that my health was better, but then I was disgusted that I was overweight. I didn't know whether to be happy to be alive, or whether to be upset about my weight issues. :D

I think I will just be happy and eat better, and maybe exercise some more, and just see if I can forget the diets and just take better care of myself. I deserve it. I need to walk when the weather improves, if only to enjoy Disneyworld more.
 

summervaca

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It's nice to hear the positive attitudes in the midst of daily updates about how horrible life is:)

Personally, when I'm up, I'm very up and when I'm down, I'm very down so I am going to try a happy medium for 2009. Hopefully, for my husband's sake, the ups and downs even out throughout the year:rolleyes:

P.S. Boca, I am very inspired by your newfound hobby of running!
 

jmatias

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I started going to Bikram Yoga classes since Thanksgiving and really enjoying the moves as well as the "saying" of the yoga teacher.

Doing the yoga is making me feel better, taller, more flexible, more focused. Listening to the words is teaching me to concentrate, relax, focus on the now, and to let go of any stress mentally and physically.

With so much bad news lately, I'm really looking forward to a much more positive 2009 and will do my part to try and spread the positivity instead of focus on the negativity.

Aloha,
Jen
 

dukebigtom

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People call me the eternal optimist anyway, so I guess I expect 2009 to be another great year. Sure there were some bad things about 2008, but God has given me the gift of being able to quickly forget the bad and remember the good. (Seriously! My friends swear I grew up in the Ozzie and Harriett family.)

In 2008, I woke up every day:banana: , spent 6 great weeks on vacation in various places, had a good job, great kids, my son got a job, my daughter got to be a stay at home mom and my beautiful granddaughter celebrated her first birthday:cheer: . I had enough food to eat, a beautiful house to live in, the medications needed to treat the diseases I deal with, heat, air conditioning, running water and two nice vehicles to get around in.

I was blessed to be part of a great group of people who launched our third church campus in 6 years and watched people understand the real important things in life. I was blessed to see my sister take in yet another several foster children (mostly infant crack babies and adopt her second).

I went to some great restaurants, saw the crystal clear waters of south Florida, enjoyed taking family and friends with us to our timeshares, met some nice people, continued to invest for retirement, and shared presents with family and friends, but more importantly shared the real meaning of CHRISTmas.

It is all a matter of perspective I guess. But, I feel like one of the most blessed people alive. Oh yeah, did I mention; I woke up every day in 2008?:banana:

God Bless,

BigTom
 

Holly

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I'm going to stop watching the news

Especially here in NYC...I've never heard such gloom and doom. I'm going to focus on what I have and what I have control over and not listen to the talking heads on CNBC.
 

Teresa

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'Why Me?'

Love this topic!

One thing that I have asked people who have said 'why me?' in a bad situation is, 'Gee, do you ever ask that when something good happens?'

Most of the time they just look at me funny. But I'm guessing most people don't really put much effort into 'feeling' when a good thing happens - only feeling horrible when a bad thing happens. I try to be ever vigilant about feeling grateful for things that often go unnoticed by me and others.

So next time you're feeling down about something and want to think 'why me?', think about when you forgot to say 'why me?' when something good happened. You may even laugh at yourself for getting so upset and asking why you've been singled out for this 'bad' thing when you realize you get singled out for good things too.
 
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