virgin islands scene

Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.
-- Cardinal Newman
 

 

Monday, April 22, 2019

Negative exaggeration

Sometimes you can feel like everything is going wrong, but of course that is not literally true. Many things may be seriously out of order, but certainly not everything.

So start with that realization, that some aspects of your life, of the world, are still okay. Challenge your negative exaggeration, and replace it with a more thoughtful, considered view.

Provide yourself with a concrete example that contradicts your exaggeration. Remind yourself of what still works, of what continues to be dependable, reasonable, of what can bring a smile to your face.

You can be realistic and acknowledge a difficult situation without descending into hopelessness. And then you can take action -- positive action, hopeful action, effective action.

Negative thoughts often become exaggerated in order to command your full attention. Once they have your attention, they’ve done their job, and your best option is to quickly replace them.

Assure yourself that all is not lost, and prod yourself to craft a positive way forward. Make good use of whatever still works well, to repair and transcend all that has gone wrong.

— Ralph Marston

previousBest among the worst       Time to grownext

Copyright ©2019 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.


moneytizer ad goes here


moneytizer ad goes here

moneytizer mobile ad goes here