Enrich Your Life With a Positive Attitude

In my recent post on 8 Rules for Creating a Passionate Life at WorkI explore ways to enrich the work experience to find passion in what can be a frustrating environment.  Finding solutions to life's annoyances and difficult problems can be a challenge.  But when you solve the puzzle and find the motivation of the issue, any challenge can also bring you joy.  You may learn to understand other people better and find truths within yourself to meet those challenges which will ultimately enrich your life.   


Yvetta Fedorova


Today I read an article that explores the benefits of having a positive attitude towards life's struggles.  A Richer Life by Seeing the Glass Half Full - NYTimes.com  In this article on Personal Health by Jane Broday, she discusses that it's "Not Just About Being Positive"
Yvetta Fedorova

"Murphy’s Law — “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong” — is the antithesis of optimism. In a book called “Breaking Murphy’s Law,” Suzanne C. Segerstrom, a professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky, explained that optimism is not about being positive so much as it is about being motivated and persistent."

This idea that a positive experience can bloom from a rotten seed just by putting your mind to finding a solution and working at it persistently rang true to me.

In business, as in other aspects of life, the times I've felt the most accomplished are the times when I have overcome an especially difficult challenge by finding a solution to what seemed like an insurmountable problem.  The times when I've been challenged by annoying people or difficult situations that refused to cooperate with my plans would frustrate me to no end and cause me to be anxious or unhappy.  

But i have learned that when I stop judging and approached the challenge with curiosity, I find that  instead of being frustrated, I become energized to solve the mystery of why this person or this situation is acting the way it is, what is their motivation for the disruptive action, and what I can do to manipulate it to reach my ultimate goal and achieve success.  

This persistence of will and quite literally an attitude adjustment, to stop complaining and being negative and start thinking of positive solutions, is making a huge the difference in how I perceive challenges in at work.  These challenges are mere stepping stones to my own inward journey of learning how to better relate to the world around me.  This lesson, of course,  applies equally to my work life as it does to my personal life.

Treating others with the perspective of love rather than hate is the goal in all of life's challenging situations. 

The Buddha teaches us to thank your enemy for challenging you to seek inward for the Dharma.  

'Compassion and love are not mere luxuries. As the source both of inner and external peace, they are fundamental to the continued survival of our species.' His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

Likewise, Jesus teaches us to, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which spitefully use you, and persecute you;”  Matthew 5:44

In this way, I can face my work and all other challenges in life with a positive perspective, seeking the truth within to find solutions to my problems and face each challenge with an open and loving heart.

I hope this may motivate others who are faced with difficulties that seem insurmountable and unpleasant - to strive to keep trying to find a solution to the problem by simply changing your mind about how your perceive it.  When you think positive, you do positive actions, and your life will become a positive experience.

That is my goal.  Wish me luck in achieving it today!