Typically I am the fearless leader of the peppy parade and I love it. However last weekend I felt a noticeable dip in my energy levels. I caught myself entertaining poor quality thoughts, felt tired even though I did little physical activity, and got a headache which is uncommon for me.
I quickly understood the symptoms since I practice self-awareness and recognized them as the physical result I get from holding negative thoughts and emotions for too long. This happens from time to time and I get it, but I don’t accept it. I want always to quickly diagnose these symptoms for what they are and get back on track to perkiness. So here is what I did.
1. I reflected on why I felt the way I did and realized three causes:
- Stressing about the actions of somebody whom I have no control over
- Speaking about my frustration – not just once – but to anybody who would listen, even seeking people out to tell them
- Acting judgmentally toward this person, and then judging myself for being judgmental (yes, I do that) – I had to remind myself that it’s my job to love the person and not the negative behavior
2. Once I understood the causes, I took these steps:
- Reminded myself that I should never worry about things I cannot control and to have faith that everything works out in the end
- Set the intention to be more reserved in what I say, because the spoken word is powerful and speaking poorly of others always comes back to you – also, it’s just plain unbecoming
- Sought out information that is uplifting to me
While nobody likes to show her struggles, I wanted to share this because it seemed more than coincidental to to have such a weekend directly after writing a blog about how to Change your mind for the better. People do not change overnight and this experience is a great example of the self-work I pursue and encourage others to pursue.
As a bonus, I want to share the uplifting material I found (lying around in my desk). It is called the Optimist’s Creed and was exactly what I needed to see today.
“I promise myself…
- To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
- To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person I meet.
- To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
- To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
- To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
- To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as I am about my own.
- To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
- To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile to every living creature I meet.
- To give so much time to improving myself that I have no time to criticize others.
- To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
- To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world, not in loud words, but in great deeds.
- To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side, so long as I am true to the best that is in me.”
Christian D. Larson (1874-1954)
The Optimist Creed was authored in 1912 by Chistian D. Larson, appearing in his book Your Forces and How to Use Them. It was adopted as Optimist International’s creed in 1922.
This creed is powerful and I hope you get as much out of it as I do.
