Finding one good quality in all things and people transforms outcomes, how we feel & attract.
“There is an innocence in admiration: it occurs in one who has not yet realized that they might one day be admired.” ― Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
It’s me who needs this, not you
I’ll have to admit, I’m in a bit of a funk with now way to create attract ion from anything good.
Maybe it’s more like a funky rut of no gratitude available, the law of no attraction..
Yesterday, I received a bill from Amex for a card with my name on it that I have never had.
During the several hours of phone calls trying to uncover the reality of the situation, I was not grateful. As a matter of fact, I was downright rude.
The event left me with a physical and mental hangover, my own actions creating complete de-motivation.
No wonder I did not get the help needed in the end. I was asked to email a copy of the bill to the the fraud department and have not heard anything back.
My mistaken choice was to name the whole encounter bad or unacceptable. That cemented my mindset and it hit every person I spoke with like a brick. Part of their listening had to be taken up by processing my stuff. I made them less effective in this encounter by taking that stance.
A little voice whispers to me right now, “Let go of what you can not control Christopher.”
Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances. — Wayne Dyer
What might we learn from some cartoon characters?
What was your first thought upon seeing the Cute Furry Monster picture above?
Maybe you noticed the fur and thought “cute” or maybe you don’t like long tongues or vampire like teeth, so you said that to yourself.
What can famous cartoon characters show us about the possibilities? You know, the ones that seem to find the good in anything.
Like Olaf the Snowman…
At Oh My Disney .com a contributor writes this about Olaf,
When life gets tough, he likes to hold on to his dream. Nevermind that it involves sunshine and he’s made out of meltable snow. This little guy is optimistic, even when faced with extreme obstacles (like fire). And he always has the right thing to say in a situation that might otherwise seem dire: “Some people are worth melting for.”
Are the authors and screenwriters trying to mold us, adults and children alike, into more optimistic views? More inline with the Law of Attraction.
In the same article, the contributor talks about Baloo from Jungle Book:
This bear is so optimistic that he’s responsible for one of arguably the most optimistically anthemic songs in the Disney canon: the Bare Necessities. He knows that life is all about how you choose to look at it, and things always look pretty good from where he’s sitting (or floating with impossible ease on a lake).
Maybe I need a shot of Craig T Nelson and The Incredibles.
Or, maybe a pep talk from Timothy Q. Mouse like the one he gave Dumbo in, well Dumbo. Who else could have ever thought that an elephant could fly?
This could Work for me while Driving
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” — Helen Keller
Making it a habit to drive at the speed limit or just slighter over, I attract a ton drivers who tailgate. It drives me up the wall!
It’s dangerous, and those drivers are putting me at risk.
There are many choices that could be made on how to handle this, I could…
Slam on my brakes! I’ve done this, it can be fun especially if they bite and swerve off the road.
However, it is a bit risky. Or, I could speed up until they don’t care to pass anymore, now I’m speeding and the one creating possible havoc.
I could slow down allowing them to pass then jeer over while flipping them the finger bird. This could and does end in road rage violence, general killing and maiming. Not really my cup of tea although in all fairness, it once was.
I’ve thought of some sort of messaging device in my back window, but then I grow weak thinking of all the programing and wires.
So, that leaves me one last choice…You guessed it….
See One Darn Good Thing Everywhere
Finding one good quality in all things and people transforms outcomes, how you feel & what you attract.
This is like the chorus of a song, you know it repeats, in writing that’s the title.
I get tailgated daily and I’ve found the best practice is too pull off onto the shoulder and wave kindly as I think to myself “What a good hurried driver he/she is. Imagine how fast they will get to their destination.”
This is awesome because I avoid all the aforementioned outcomes and as a bonus, get to see their brakes come on as they tailgate the very next driver. Except now, I can witness the accident instead of being a part of it.
It leaves me feeling lighter, freer and better about myself.
And who knows, maybe the person will be in my path at some function later in the day? You never know.
Truly, I invite you to try this now in a world that seems not to understand the premise.
Think about the things you love the most. Could it have started just because you noticed one thing you called good?
In her book Find the Good, Heather Lende writes:
Recently, I was asked to write a short essay describing one piece of wisdom to live by. I thought about it but did not have a brief, easy answer. I have made enough mistakes in my life to fill a whole bookshelf of dos and don’ts.
My friend John works as an investigator in the public defender’s office but is a poet. That is probably why he managed to distill all his fatherly hopes and dreams into two rules for his only child: “Be nice to the dog and don’t do meth.” His son turned out kind, clear-eyed, and he graduated from a good college.
I didn’t have such pithy haiku wisdom at the ready. As an obituary writer, I lean toward elegiac couplets, and I have five children, which also adds a lot more variables. One size won’t fit all of them. I took another tack. I pretended I was on my deathbed. (I’m fifty-four, have survived being run over by a truck, and I had a headache, which I worried might be a brain tumor, so this was not such a big leap.)
I imagined I’d already said good-bye to my husband, children, grandchildren, and all the great-grandchildren I hadn’t even met yet. If indeed all the wisdom I had in my heart was to be summed up in final words and it was difficult to speak more than, say, three, what would I rasp before my soul flew up the chimney?
Find the good.
I surprised myself with this pretty great notion.
Find the good. That’s enough. That’s plenty. I could leave my family with that.
Seems Like Good Advice.
The learner always begins by finding fault, but the scholar sees the positive merit in everything. — Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel
Play along while I practice on the young woman in my featured photo.
I like how she exudes happiness from her face and outstretched arms.
She has great teeth!
Her skin is a wonderful olive tone, I like that.
She want’s to hug me, I like touching.
Her fingernails are manicured, not too long, not too short, and neat.
It was love at first sight as I imagined her drawing you into this article. Now, I want to know more about her. What’s her name? Where is she from?
My decision to find not just one, but five good things seals the deal. It will attract her attention as well and leaves us both feeling like we have honored life.
The Only Way I Know
To achieve a daily reminder and a chance at finding good all day long is a gratitude list prepared in the morning before taking on the world.
What am I grateful for today?
It could be as basic as food, shelter, and clothing.
Why not name some people, places and things?
Today, I am grateful for the readers on Medium, they are smart people.
Today, I am grateful for all tailgaters for showing me the responsible nature in which I have chosen to drive. They get to choose how they drive.
Today, and every day, I am grateful for the mostly unseen universe that supports my every passionate endeavor to a successful end.
Speaking of endings, this is it or, could it be a new beginning!
Cheers!
I hope you found some value in this article, if you did please follow the links below for more of my recent work, maybe another will resonate. Cheers!
© Christopher Boswell 2019. All Rights Reserved.
When Christopher isn’t writing from wherever he can be found traveling or capturing photographs somewhere in the United States. He may be generating Graphic Design, building a website, processing images or video, flying his Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, wrangling dogs, or backpacking and kayaking. He lives in Tacoma, WA. We invite you to learn more about Christopher at Real Window Creative
Back to the homepage
Another blog post A Practical Guide to Stock market INvesting