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Link to May 2008 .pdf |
Newsletter / May 2008 |
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Some people see the glass half empty—others see it as half full. But is it really as simple as that? Is it possible for it to be a combination of the two? When you think about it, most people tend to be optimistic sometimes and pessimistic at other times. Ironically, a lot of things turn out the same way people feel about them. If a person tends to think something will go good or bad, it usually seems to follow that way. Why is this? Henry Ford once said, “If you think you can, or think you can’t, you are usually right!” Does this mean that what we think about, whether positive or negative, tends to happen? The answer is kind of yes. However, we cannot simply think things into existence; no matter how optimistic we are, if that is all we do. And when it comes down to it, that’s not optimism, but delusion.
The key to optimism is one part attitude, and another part action. Because when you add productive action to that optimism that is when truly amazing things can happen. You can be as optimistic as you want about getting a raise or finding a spouse, but unless you are including the productive action that helps push things to that end, you will never get there. The difference between thinking optimistically and thinking optimistically while acting in a productive manner is kind of like saying to an empty fireplace “give me warmth and then I will put some wood in you.”
For many of our customers, these have been challenging
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times. The economy has been sluggish while raw material and operating costs are rising every day. Consumer confidence is low, unemployment is rising and the talk of recession is like a looming cloud hanging over our collective heads. It is easy to get depressed and pessimistic during these days. I see it all differently. I would much prefer to expect the best and enjoy what life gives me than to constantly worry about how bad things are going to be. What is important is to put productive action behind these thoughts in order for them to be effective.
Some might say that I should wake up and smell the coffee. This isn’t about optimism or pessimism—it is about reality. Well, a customer once astutely told me that his perception was his reality and that was something that I have never forgotten. I think part of our problem is we let other people’s perceptions and attitudes influence our own beliefs, so that before you know it, we have slipped into the pessimistic camp. And being pessimistic is contagious. It starts as a germ and quickly can become an epidemic.
So I would say to you: be optimistic. Expect the best out of life! Expecting the best out of life is better than being miserably pessimistic. And above all, don’t forget the most important part; don’t just think optimistically, but act optimistically as well. |
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A Message from the ‘Second Chance at Life’ Club
| As the sole member of the Triple Transplant Survivor Club, I have a great personal story to tell. For those that follow this newsletter, it has now been more than two and a half years since my mega-surgery (heart, kidney and pancreas transplant) that gave me a Second Chance at life. I’m happy to report that I’m still doing incredibly well. Though I didn’t sign up for this position, nor was I recruited—it just kind of happened. And as we know, we each have to play the cards dealt to us. On April 26th the group I represent, One Legacy, had an annual run walk event to support organ donating. It was designed to bring awareness to this all important cause. It was an incredible sight to see organ donating families walking with |
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recipients whose lives were saved. There are currently more than 100,000 people in the U.S. on waiting lists for organs and yet there is a real shortage of people who understand how simple it is to volunteer their organs upon their death. All it takes is a registration with the DMV or online enrollment at www.donatelifecalifornia.org. The good news is that in the first quarter of this year more organs were retrieved than in all of last year. I owe my life to this cause and I urge your support.
Thank you
Jim Stavis
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Quote of the Month
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| "A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties." |
| –Harry Truman |
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