It’s so easy to expect the worst, isn’t it? Whether it’s a meeting, a call, a doctor’s appointment or even a holiday, we can go back to similar situations where things didn’t go as planned, or our imaginations take over and we begin creating worst-case scenarios. We know we get what we think about, and yet most of us still worry and fret and imagine all the things that could go wrong in particular situations. That’s when the old self-fulfilling prophecy thing kicks in and we begin to create what we don’t want, what we’re worrying about.
Author Eileen Caddy said “Why not be an optimist in this life, always expecting the best… always creating the best. Optimism leads to power.”
If any of you have read humorist Bill Bryson’s book about hiking the Appalachian Trail, A Walk in the Woods, he begins his book with all the reasons not to go hiking on the AT, all the ways one can get injured or die if one is foolish enough to start the hike. Then Bryson starts walking and chronicles his adventure.
We can adopt Bryson’s strategy: Think about what could go wrong, plan if possible, and then put yourself out there, expecting positive results regardless of the situation.
I plan to use this strategy the next time I have to deal with any situation I don’t look forward to. As an example, I’ve got to fly to Chicago to work in what I imagine will be a wildly cold environment. I can imagine all the reasons I’ll slip on ice or get frostbite, or I can be open to all the positive possibilities.
We can all be the optimists who recognize challenges while simultaneously being aware of potential silver linings and epiphanous opportunities. As always, the choice is ours.
