Attraction Mind Map

“It’s easy enough to be pleasant;
When life flows like a song,
But the man worthwhile,
Is the one who can smile,
When things go dead wrong.
For the test of the heart is trouble
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth
The praises of earth,
Is the smile that shines through the tears.”
— Ella Wilcox

I just came across this poem about smiling our way out even in the face of problems, and rather like it.

I used to want things to be perfect.  If things do not go my way, I would feel as if my whole world will crumble.  This was how I was in my youth.  And I had to learn how to pick myself up.  Several times.  Until recently, I barely knew that I had to learn how to smile in spite of my problems.  

Even now, I see that happening in the eyes of my little girls.  When they do not get what they want, their smiles quickly turn to disappointment and tears.  It is hard to coax them that it is not the end of the world if they do not have the latest Barbie doll or if they lost in a game of chess. Sure these are pretty minor incidents, but my concern is that they must learn how to handle life’s disappointments because life is really full of them.

Life is a continous journey with ups and downs.  There are periods where life seems like a celebration but there are also periods when everything appears bleak.  During periods when you feel like you are in the deepest dispair, there is a tendency to magnify your problems.  Suddenly, the problem is much bigger than what it actually is.  Your negativity just grows and takes a life on its own!

It is in bad times when we put our minds to the test.  Do we have the positiveness that we will see a better day?  Or do we wallow in self pity and blame everyone there is to blame except for ourselves?  We must develop the mental attitude that we can conquer our fears and problems. We attract what we fear and when we choose to confront them, they disappear.

Granted it can be quite tough to smile at a time when we feel that life is in the pits.  Counting our blessings for a start can help.  Remember the saying, “I complained that I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”  Think about your family, friends and the love and support that you have been receiving.  Listing down your blessings on a piece of paper is a great exercise for this.

I remember a simple lesson I was taught when I attended the Landmark forum.  (I had flown all the way to Melbourne to attend this workshop some 7 years ago). When we are wallowing in self pity and feel as if our world is collapsing, perhaps taking on a project such as helping other less fortunate people, can help put things in perspective.   

I’ve not mastered smiling in the face of problems and troubles myself.  But at least, I’ve learnt that I’m in charge of how I want to feel. It is not hard to understand for anyone to understand that that the more depressed we allow ourselves to feel, the more negativity will envelope us. 

It is not that we have to aim for perfection in our lives or to have life going smoothly like clockwork.  It is how we face the problems that make all the difference.  If we can look at problems with great insight, take useful actions and even treat things in a light hearted and humourous manner, then we are likely to attract a better outcome.

Popularity: 2% [?]