Is there a sport that you’ve always wanted to do, but aren’t very good at? No matter how much you practice? Is it a team or individual sport?
Share why if you wish.
Category: Optimism
What Brought You The Most Enjoyment This Year?
As the year comes to a close, it is common to look back at the high points. What brought you the most enjoyment this year?
This last year (like any year) had some difficult moments. Ongoing wars, complete with atrocities, were hard to watch, yet equally difficult to look away from. The presidential election seemed to drag on forever. Natural disasters happened with alarming regularity. And so on.
When so many negative things happen, it can be tempting to focus solely on them. It was a bad year, you might say, because so many bad things happened.
However, that approach is short-sighted. While it is true that many bad things occurred, it is also true that many good things happened as well. Over the course of an entire year, it has to be the case that many things, good and bad, are bound to happen.
And remembering the good things is important! Even if — and maybe especially if — more bad things than good happen, it is necessary to remind yourself that there is good in the world.
Next year will be filled with both good and bad things, too. It very well may be the case that there will be more bad than good then, as well. In order to withstand an onslaught of bad news, a positive outlook, filled with hope, is essential. An excellent way to get a positive outlook is to think back on all the good things that happened.
With that in mind, what are your personal high points? What were our collective high points? What brought you the most enjoyment this year?
Related questions: Are you worried about the coming year? What news from the last year made you optimistic? Why don’t you know what makes you happy? Optimistic or pessimistic?
What Will You Do Today To Make Your Tomorrow Better?
The idea of a better tomorrow is very appealing. To get there, however, will take action, preferably today. What action are you taking?
To some extent, we understand the power we have when it comes to shaping the future. We know that if we want to have a flourishing garden, we need to plant the seeds and water them first.
This illustrates that the action we take today — planting the seeds — leads to what we want tomorrow — a garden.
So, with that in mind, what metaphorical seeds do you want to plant and nourish? What do you hope to eventually harvest and share with your community?
There is a concept known as the butterfly effect: a butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil can lead to a hurricane half a world away. That is, a small change in initial conditions can lead to a massive impact at a different place and later time.
This idea is often used in time-travel stories. Stepping out of a time machine, a story’s protagonist accidentally steps on an insect, then finds the future altered beyond recognition.
But the same idea can work in the present. One small action now, properly positioned, can have deep and lasting impacts on what comes next.
So, with that in mind, what can you do in this direction? What is the better future you want, and what are the steps today to be taken to achieve it?
Related questions: How much does your past determine your future? Will the future be better than the present? Should we try to predict the future? How do you set priorities?
How Do You Maintain Hope?
Maintaining hope is an important skill for anyone. When bad things happen — and they are bound to eventually — hope keeps us going. When times are particularly difficult, how can you avoid becoming despondent? How do you maintain hope?
A positive attitude allows for a better life. It can give you confidence, and in turn that confidence allows yo top make changes that will hopefully be for the better. Improvement in your life circumstances is dependent on efforts to improve. And those efforts, in turn, depend on trusting that things can, in fact, get better.
Listen to a podcast where Michael and Lee discuss a related question: ‘What are you optimistic about?’ We also discuss a bonus question: ‘What makes a tradition?’
In that regard, hope is one of the most important feelings. It is through hopefulness that all else becomes possible.
However, there are times when it is very difficult to stay hopeful. In the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, for example. Or after a long series of setbacks. If you don’t see much growth or improvement, it is easy to become cynical.
So what can you do to combat this? What behaviors or techniques can you employ to keep hope alive in seemingly hopeless times?
Related questions: Why should we be hopeful? How can we maintain wonder? Optimistic or pessimistic? What are you optimistic about? When do you need inspiration?
Pragmatist Or Optimist?
Do you consider yourself more of a pragmatist, or more of an optimist? Do you think one has advantages over the other?
Share why if you wish.