41: How do you stay so positive?
The main way that I stay positive is by taking ownership over my happiness. As a child I always believed that happiness is a choice, and after a lifetime of trials, I still do. One could be happy while they’re being picked apart by vultures, but their happiness wouldn’t necessarily be of value, especially if it prevented them from finding a way to escape from their situation. In other words, sometimes happiness is not what is needed for the best end result because it is the opposite of dissatisfaction. Dissatisfaction is the inspiration behind positive change (but it’s better to change first.) I believe that we need to bridge the duality, and we need to be dissatisfied while being satisfied, satisfied while being dissatisfied. That way we won’t need the feeling of dissatisfaction – we will be proactive in creating positivity. Now remember that this only applies to the things that are within our realm of changing. We shouldn’t measure our mood by external factors outside of our control...