Blog: Optimism - nurture vs. nature

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”
― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: Autobiography of Nelson Mandela

I, too, am by nature an optimist. I am the youngest of three and the only girl, my saving grace, I think! My brother's are ten and six years older than me so I learned at a very young age to defend myself or die trying. Resilience is what I learned most from them and from my childhood in general.

But resilience alone can only go so far. It helps to know that I can bounce back from anything. That, apart from death, I will survive and better yet, thrive! I've always had that attitude but the optimistic side of me needed coaxing.

I had what I would call a predisposition toward being optimistic, but I was a 'good' girl growing up. I was relatively quiet, mostly did as I was told, and rarely got into serious trouble. I was told I was shy, but I now look back and see that I was suppressed from being my authentic self, the truly bubbly, optimistic, passionate person that I am today! Low self-esteem for various reasons caused me much doubt, about myself, about the world around me, and about what sort of future I could have.

This is where optimism comes into play. My motto of the moment is believing that 'something wonderful is about to happen'...

I have spent a lifetime working through my inner demons, getting to know and love my inner angels and, that to accept both as equal parts of who I am, is a balanced way to live.  I will always look on the bright side of life...because, well...why wouldn't I?

Now, here's the good bit to this whole story...because there's always a good bit, right? Wink, wink...think optimism!!

We all have this, we all have access to optimism. I believe that through suffering comes optimism, resilience and, my favourite word, passion!

If you have suffered you have the greatest access to a miracle, it's just patiently waiting for you to look within and see that you, too can look to the brighter side of life. Even if it's an atom-sized spec of brightly coloured dust! It's still something. It's still a call out to the universe that says you are here and you are believing that something wonderful is about to happen.

And...there's an And, you ask? And, the other brilliant thing about optimism...it's like any other muscle...if you use it over and over again, it builds and gets bigger. My sense of optimism right now is HUGE though it doesn't mean my life is all one big bowl of cherries but man, the cherries that I do have sure do taste delicious! The more I eat from the fruits of optimism, positivity, passion, purpose and possibility, the more the tree from which they come seems to grow.

So...enjoy your "cherries" now...eat them with gusto now...nurture the tree from which they grow with love, respect, joy, and good deeds...and you will have plenty more where they came from...now and for the rest of the time you have left in the body you have with the life it's in!

With love, Ava

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Conversation Catalyst

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Workshops

Conversation Catalyst is a half hour Skype complimentary session if you feel the desire, want, need to share about death, dying, life and living, but have yet to or are unable to participate in the workshops below...

'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Death'

• January 20, 2013
• February 17, 2013
• March 17, 2013
  

'Continuing the Conversation'

•  January 27, 2013
• February 24, 2013
• March 31, 2013
  

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