We all have some good days and some bad days, but some people tend to have more good days than others and it’s often more of a case of perspective than anything.
Much of that kind of attitude comes down to having a stoic mindset, knowing that you’re in control of your attitude. If you always find ways to blame others, you give yourself a reason to be angry and it’s easy to run with it. We all know people like this, who have a sour attitude but brush it off by blaming their woes on others. It’s hard to be around them very long.
As I saw in a post on Reddit a while back, “one of my favorite things about my wife is her ability to have a good day“. Simple, yet powerful.
Last fall when I discussed the attributes of various people, the ability to maintain a positive outlook was on all of their lists.
- Ben Wilson included “joyful” and “grateful”.
- Benjamin Franklin listed “tranquility”.
- John Wooden said “enthusiasm”, “self control” and “poise”.
We’re all going to have some bad days, and that’s just unavoidable, but there are things you can do to help.
First, realize that complaining and blaming others will rarely help the situation. If you’re stuck in a traffic jam, honking and yelling at other drivers isn’t going to help.
Second, do your best to avoid those situations. I look at destinations in advance to spot potential issues, time-shift efforts to earlier when possible, and try to be consistent about throwing jackets on my calendar to allow some buffer.
Things can (and will) go sideways from time to time, but more often than not they’ll go smoothly and that’ll make you a much better person to be around.
