I was listening to Larry King talk about when he interviewed a pianist who had been blind his whole life. Larry asked him if he'd like to see. The pianist said no. Larry asked him, "Why?" He responded that to him, every woman is beautiful, all colors are bright, and every day is sunny. He didn't want that to change.
That really struck me. The blind pianist doesn't see dark clouds or disfigurations, and he creates whatever he wants his reality to be. But, we ALL have the power to create our reality—even if we see or experience unpleasant things. That power lies in controlling our thoughts, attitudes and reactions.
How do you react to a rainy day on vacation? Do you still appreciate that you're on vacation or do you feel like your day is ruined?
How do you deal with a long commute? Do you use the time to get work done, read a book, catch up with a friend, or do you let it suck the life out of you?
Much has been studied and written on the power of positive thinking. Evidence shows that people with a positive attitude are happier, more successful and more satisfied with their lives. So, if positivity isn't one of your virtues, it's worth working on it.
As someone who wasn't born looking at the glass as half full, I know it isn't always easy to see the bright side of things (I've definitely let the situations above get to me). It can take some serious work / restraint / convincing. A few things that have helped me in this effort are:
1) Saying things I am grateful for
2) Surrounding myself with positive people
3) Cutting negative people & things (ie reality shows) out of my life, or at least minimizing my time spent with them
4) Personal development: books, podcasts, videos
5) Pausing when I see or experience something unpleasant & reminding myself to look for the positive
6) Being conscious of & stopping negative self-talk
Life is tough. Annoying things happen. Daily. But, you live in a world that's filled with beauty, bright colors & sunshine. You don't have to be blind to create a wonderful reality—you just have to focus on it.