[JEBWrench]

The thing is, those people aren't willing to actually do the work involved to better themselves; somewhere along the line, people confused acting positively with simply thinking miracles will happen for them.

Thinking positively isn't necessarily something about emotion - proactivity and positive thought go hand in hand. Positive thought in that you can improve your situation through your actions.

Saying "It could be worse" isn't inherently thinking positively. It's a complacent, defeatist attitude; it's apathetic, not positive.

[kis1467]

Bad is never good until worse happens.
How true!

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by JEBWrench

The thing is, those people aren't willing to actually do the work involved to better themselves; somewhere along the line, people confused acting positively with simply thinking miracles will happen for them.

Thinking positively isn't necessarily something about emotion - proactivity and positive thought go hand in hand. Positive thought in that you can improve your situation through your actions.

Saying "It could be worse" isn't inherently thinking positively. It's a complacent, defeatist attitude; it's apathetic, not positive.

...very, very well said JEB...

[Omega_Shadow]

I am not going to split hairs anymore and continue to hijack this thread.

Like I said before in my first post in this thread, one of my life lessons is that positive/negative attitudes get in the way. Just think about what has to get done and get it done. And that's that.

Quite honestly it seems like every time I post my personal opinion about how I do things or how I live I get flack for not following mainstream ideas. ("you should be positive about everything" or "anger is never constructive", etc and so on.) I came to this thread, liked the idea, and posted the lessons life has taught me. Please don't make me defend them in debate on weather they work for everyone or not. They work for me and that is what maters in the end.

[JEBWrench]

Thus marking the first time an on-topic discussion has been labelled a hijack.

[Omega_Shadow]

Thread Topic: Life Lessons
Hijack Topic: Definition of Positive

Sure the the actual idea didn't stray that far from the topic, But I still consider that a bit of a hijack . I just don't want to steal shamou's thread. Its a real good topic and don't want people not posting their ideas cause a debate is going on

SC, I agree with ya tenfold on that one.

[Shamou]

Originally Posted by Omega_Shadow

I am not going to split hairs anymore and continue to hijack this thread.

Like I said before in my first post in this thread, one of my life lessons is that positive/negative attitudes get in the way. Just think about what has to get done and get it done. And that's that.

Quite honestly it seems like every time I post my personal opinion about how I do things or how I live I get flack for not following mainstream ideas. ("you should be positive about everything" or "anger is never constructive", etc and so on.) I came to this thread, liked the idea, and posted the lessons life has taught me. Please don't make me defend them in debate on weather they work for everyone or not. They work for me and that is what maters in the end.

...I honestly thank you for your contribution in this thread... ...you said it the way you see it and that's good... ...now, if everyone was always in complete agreeance (as valis would say) there would be very little posts and certainly not much fun...

[JEBWrench]

I agree, Shamou. I was rather enjoying the discussion; although I do see your perspective on the matter, OS.

[wacor]

I understand Omeg exactly what you mean and agree. Unfortunatly my brain wont always work that way. And you made a good point about not wanting to debate your view which you should not have to do. This is random and not CD

[Omega_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Shamou

...I honestly thank you for your contribution in this thread... ...you said it the way you see it and that's good... ...now, if everyone was always in complete agreeance (as valis would say) there would be very little posts and certainly not much fun...

Amen to that! Everyone has their own way of thinking about things and that good, cause if everyone thought about things the same way there wouldn't be any individuality.

[JEBWrench]

Originally Posted by Omega_Shadow

Amen to that! Everyone has their own way of thinking about things and that good, cause if everyone thought about things the same way there wouldn't be any individuality.

That's precisely why I think it's important to discuss these perspectives with civility; the very reason why I was quite interested in seeing this thread show up - Shamou's spirituality thread has been a perpetual mental exercise and introspective journey, and that was thanks to the discussion and debate on a friendly level of the views expressed therein.

[Omega_Shadow]

alright, I see your point. I usualy like a good debate or disussion but it seems like I have just been defending my way of life lately to everyone I meet, one of the downsides of living in a collage town. Tell ya what, let me catch up on some sleep and we will start off fresh on the subject.

[JEBWrench]

No worries. Sorry to seem confrontational; I personally don't like people who just stare up at the sky and wait for those silver linings to reach them either. I'd rather acknowledge they're there, and figure out how to get there.

[Omega_Shadow]

It's not only that kind of attitude that really cooks my noodle (where the hell did I come up with that one?! Damn I need sleep) but the idea of "Don't worry about it and it will turn out ok". That's the kind of idea that I can't stand and associate with positive thinking. In my opinion positive thinking is just like negative thinking, it is focusing on the good or bad viewpoints of a problem rather then attempting to solve the problem. Its like being ask to solve a math problem, lets say A + 2 = 6. You could look at it negatively by saying "crap, its algebra! I hate algebra. I don't even know where to begin!". You can look at it positively and say "It looks simple enough, I should be able to do it". Or you can do what I do, just Solve it. Stop thinking about the good and the bad and just subtract 2 from six and find A is 4. And if you don't know how to solve it, find out how, don't complain that you don't know and then twiddle your thumbs. Or worse yet, say you can find a way then twiddle your thumbs

[JEBWrench]

Hmm. I'll agree with you on that part; but I believe that the attidue where "I should be able to do it" is more apathy than positive.

I consider positive thinking to be "Alright, I can do this - let's get started!" The incentive to act, in my opinion is part of positive thought and action.

When Gibby hit his famous homerun in '88, he didn't tell himself "I can't do this, I'm injured". He didn't say "Well, I'm going to win this anyways, no sense doing it" either. He went up there, and did it. But he most certainly didn't give up - I believe it's in not giving up, and continuing to act, that defines the power of positive thought.

As far as maintaining a cheerful disposition, I don't believe that a positive, proactive attitude directly means that everything is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, either. Positive people can get downtrodden, but what sets them apart from the negative is the ability to persevere.

Addendum: I think your signature explains my view of a positive attitude completely, OS.