How I feel is a byproduct of my thoughts and vice versa and I imagine it’s the same for most people. Watching tennis players, I often see how their feelings negatively and positively impact their game. If we feel happy, we think happy thoughts and act happy; and if we feel sad, more than likely we will think thoughts that further depress and discourage us, which will be reflected in our behavior. It may seem difficult to feel positive when there is so much negative stuff going on around us and in our lives; however, finding contentment is not difficult if we have something to believe in or put our trust in. What beliefs motivate you? Every day we make hundreds of choices and each one is motivated by what we are feeling. When I am feeling generous, I am more inclined to be nicer to a stranger or help my friend(s).
When you are feeling angry, you may be more inclined to seek revenge or reject acts of kindness from others. If you are feeling hopeless, you will more than likely not make the effort. Yet no matter how you feel, happy or sad, you can have a positive life if you have a foundation of faith. It does not mean that you are free from negative emotions, those are unfortunately a fact of life. People and circumstances will affect you no matter how hard you try; however, when you have faith, it allows you to take a step back and ask…..”What am I supposed to learn from this experience?” Although the answer is not always immediately clear, I usually will gain something positive from every experience, good or bad when I search with faith. We cannot be empathetic if we have never experience the ups and downs of life.
IMAGE: Original photo by SHDR
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I really like the picture of the sculpture at the top of your article. It goes very well with the article. I also agree with everything in the piece. My life experiences have confirmed my beliefs that are the same as yours. We sometimes forget some of these truths so it is good to have regular reminders. When I feel happy, life seems to treat me well. When I feel down, life seems to notice and shy away from me. There are sometimes negative things that seem insurmountable but they do get resolved eventually one way or another sometimes happily and sometimes we just have to accept things as they are. I always like the observation of the main character in Slumdog Millionaire which was…..Everything turns out well in the end. If it hasn’t turned out, it’s not the end. I’m sure I haven’t quoted it correctly but I’m sure you know what I mean. I definitely agree that we learn from every experience but it seems that we learn the most from the bad ones. I think the bad ones make us more humble and better people if we choose to learn from them and find the positive.
I believe our values and beliefs are basically the same which is a good thing. Keep on writing.