You Can Choose to Live on the Sunny Side of the Street During These Uncertain Times
Be a beacon of light and optimism to those around you.
There is so much confusion in the world right now. How do you know what’s true and what’s not? Who do you believe? Should you be fearful? What is the best way to stay informed?
It has been said that the news cycle for the past year is like “drinking out of a fire hose.” I would honestly say that lately, it has felt more like drinking out of Niagra Falls. Information is coming at us from all directions as I have never seen before in my lifetime.
We not only have all the news outlets bombarding us with continuous bad news and information, but we also have talk shows, podcasts, YouTube videos, blogs, and other various websites offering additional opinions. And let's not forget the 101+ social media websites that people use as their own platforms to speak their minds regarding current events. These only add to the confusion.
It is overwhelming.
The way I see it, you have two choices:
- You can continue to get sucked into all the bad news and opinions out there and let it inflict fear, confusion, and frustration upon you, which causes you to feel as if you’re living under a continuous rain cloud.
- Or, you can choose to turn almost everything off, think for yourself and stay busy with good things enabling you can live on the sunny side of the street, basking in your own optimism and positivity.
I choose the latter. I call it a blissful existence.
I’m not saying that you don’t need to stay somewhat informed, but don’t give it your undivided attention and energy and let it consume your life. If and when you do tune in, be sure you go to trusted sources and that you don’t fall victim to the rumor mill. Seek after truth and trust your own intuition to recognize it. Much of the information out there is also a bit contradictory, so use your gut feeling and follow your heart to weed out the mistruths.
Take whatever information you find and draw your own conclusions and action plans if any. When consuming any information, the key is to do so in a detached and unemotional manner. This will help you make your own informed decisions and what you need to do to keep your family safe, healthy, and happy.
Here are a couple of suggestions that can help you change your focus to living on the sunny side of the street and remain optimistic.
Seek and Consume Media That Helps You See the Good in the World
If you’re going to watch the news, try this heartwarming spin on the news found on the YouTube channel SomeGoodNews that John Krasinski started at the height of the lockdowns last year. The focus is only on the good news that was happening when other news outlets reported mostly bad news. It is a breath of fresh air that instills hope and peace and will make you shed a tear or two and laugh with Krasinski-style humor.
Consume uplifting or humorous movies, books, and web content that leave you feeling love, peace, and hope. There’s nothing like a good romantic comedy or Disney movie to make you feel good about the world we live in.
Amidst all the bad news that is being disseminated to us at an overwhelming volume, seek other media to make you feel optimistic and hopeful about your future. Look for news stories that share the good things that are happening — they are out there.
Stories such as this July 2020 article on FoxNews, which shared poll results that many families actually became closer as we all were forced to shelter-in-place during the early months of the lockdowns. Look for the good in bad situations, and your attitude and outlook will change.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Juice Plus+, the survey found 66 percent of those surveyed said the pandemic has brought them closer to their family than ever before. It’s no surprise that 77 percent of respondents were also in agreement that they’ve enjoyed spending more time with the members of their household. The survey also found respondents have learned a lot about their families while sheltering in place as well.
In the midst of all the restrictions that occurred in 2020, they did have their advantages.
My wife and I have always been close, but we’ve always had pretty busy lives, especially when our children were young. The early mandatory shelter-in-place orders cleared so many things from our schedules, and it was actually refreshing to get a break from all the demands of everyday life as we were thrown into having “constant family time.”
Mothers and fathers who typically worked away from home were suddenly dealing with a work-from-home situation and spending time with their children like never before. Even though that time period was challenging, many families would argue that they cherished the increased time they had with each other.
Be a Beacon of Light and Optimism to Those Around You
Instead of preaching gloom and doom to those around you about how awful the world is right now, be a lighthouse of hope that others can look to for the good things that are happening. Don’t add to the confusion and hopelessness. There’s already plenty of that going around.
Let’s change the collective consciousness of the world toward positivity — one person at a time.
I love this article, “Be the Change You Want to See in the World,” that I found on HuffPost.com while searching for Gandhi’s famous quote. Although the article is not recent, there are many great points mentioned that are timeless and still provide sound advice for us as we try our best to navigate 2021.
Who we are now is not who we were last year, last week, yesterday or even a minute ago. Life never stands still, no matter what we do. Change is the very nature of existence — our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, ideas, even our relationships are as changeable as rain and sunshine, or night and day. But, as much as change is inevitable, it is not always welcome or easy to deal with. It can upset our world and generate many conflicting feelings.
However, it is in those very moments when everything looks hopeless that we have a real chance to grow into something better: what the caterpillar calls the end of the world, we call a butterfly!
There’s no doubt that we are going to experience more changes in 2021. Will they affect us in some way? It's very likely. Remember, it’s all about perspective, and many will share your optimism and hope for the future — but many will not. You will encounter family members, friends, neighbors, and work associates that will not share your optimism (or even welcome it).
So, how do you influence them to change their perspective?
One suggestion on how to diffuse a negative person going on and on about all the things that you “should be worried about” is to change the subject to something more positive as quickly as possible.
I love movies — so I like to derail their tirade and ask if they’ve seen a movie that I recently watched and what they thought about it. This approach will either make them angrier or interrupt the behavior. Pick a common interest that can direct their focus on something more positive.
If the person continues their rant, the only thing left to do is end the conversation and walk away. You want to be a good listener, but these types of negative conversations will drain your energy and wear you down over time.
You can often influence the other person for good if you are persistent. When all else fails, show love and try to find ways to serve them. Being a good example is also the master teacher.
A southern gentleman once shared a quote with me that has stuck with me for many years on how you treat others:
“You can catch more bees with honey than with vinegar.” — Flo the waitress from the sitcom, Mel’s Diner
Be a light to others around you, one person at a time.
Final Thoughts
I have to admit that it is sometimes difficult not to get sucked into all the propaganda shooting out over the airwaves these days. You don’t have to look too hard — it's everywhere you turn. The opinions we encounter are as numerous as the stars in the night sky.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you made conscious choices every day to consume only positive and uplifting influences and try to affect others to do the same?
Can you also imagine the shift in overall perspective if all of us changed our TVs' channel away from the bad news and instead tune into uplifting programs?
What about the effect it would have if all of us lowered our usage of the internet and social media?
If we focus on thinking for ourselves and not let others do our thinking for us, we could all awaken from our slumber and start living again. If we all unite together and live in a blissful existence, the powers that be will realize that no one is listening anymore, and all the bad news can go away.
Ponder the meaning of another great Gandhi quote:
“We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
Don’t wait to see what others do — take the lead and control what you can and “be the change you want to see in the world.”