Every person on earth faces challenges. I used to think of them as interruptions getting in the way of my plan. I now understand they were not interruptions at all, they were the plan. Health, money, family, work, none of us are spared. So the real question is not if trouble will come, but what we will do when it does.
There are two habits for meeting trouble. Pessimism sees a verdict. It says this proves things will not work out, so why try. It may protect you from surprise, but it narrows your choices before you have tried them. Optimism sees the same hard facts and sees material to work with. It does not pretend the pain is not real. It just refuses to believe the pain is the whole story.
I choose optimism, not because life has been easy, but because I have seen what each habit builds. When I am optimistic, I pause before I label a problem as permanent. I look for what is still in my hands, one small useful action, a call to make, help to ask for, something to learn. And I remember that I have been through hard things before and found a way through, usually with other people. Pessimism still visits, especially when I am tired, but I try to hear it as information and let optimism make the decision.
How you handle challenges becomes, over time, who you become. Handled with pessimism, the world slowly shrinks. Handled with optimism, even when it takes effort, the world stays open enough for good things to find you again.
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you.” – Isaiah 41:10
Being About The Journey 