Pollyanna Had It Right

When I was growing up, my dad would often fault me for being such a "Pollyanna" and would suggest that he had never met anyone who was so "simple minded". Truth be known, like any good dad, he was simply trying to make sure that I wouldn't get hurt by being too trusting.

But the reality is that Pollyanna had it right. Simply by always looking for the good in people and in situations, she transformed an entire town and the people in it from a curmugeon's hide-a-way into a pleasant place to live. She accomplished this amazing feat by simply refusing to see the "dark side".

It would seem to me that we could use some of that unbridled optomism, or what people are calling positivity, right now. The truth is that what we given our attention to, we create both for ourselves and for our world. So isn't it about time that we focused on what is good and right instead of what is bad and wrong.

There is a wonderful story that emerges from the American Indian tradition. An old brave was telling his grandson that within every person there is a fight going on between two wolves. One is mean, cruel, pessimistic and hopeless. The other is joyful, optomistic, loving and hopeful. The little boy asked his grandfather, "So, which one wins?" To which the wise old man replies, "the one you feed".

It's time to stop feeding that negative side of ourselves. Turn off the 24/7 news channels and the talking - or more often, screaming - heads for a while. Take a newspaper "fast" for a week or two. Vow to look for the good in everyone you meet - especially the ones who grate on your last nerve. Be Pollyanna for a little while. You will be happier and so will everyone around you.