Are you a positive or a negative thought person

Imogene

Imogene

Member
Location
Middle Tennessee
Is your glass half full or half empty most of the time? occasionally faltering at half empty gets a pass.

Do you generally try to see the good or do you generally look at things in the negative and continually complain?

I have read several threads on this form, excluding those of people that are very ill, that seem to do nothing but complain. I read the first one or two comments by the posters and then I stop reading because I can’t stand all that negativism.

For all his flaws, my husband on his good days was a good natured easy-going person. Sadly, in his waning days of metastasized prostate cancer, I had to watch his personality, change to the dark side. It was a heartbreaker to watch that kind of darkness cover him and doesn’t count for this thread; these folks are e titled to their dark moments no matter how frequent. I am talking about people who can’t seem to get out from underneath the umbrella of darkness, no matter what good thing is handed to them in life; they could win $1 million lottery ticket and still not be happy.

So it begs the question, if anyone cares to answer this : which are you, someone who tries very hard every day to see the good or a constant whiner.

I don’t think I need to answer my own question, but I will. I am a praying person who is a staunch believer in God. I know there are people on this form that do not believe in God and that is your privilege, but I know that without His help I would not get as far as I have gotten. I am so thankful every day for the help that He gives me and the fact that He lets me wake up every day to get to the barn to feed my horses and to have the money to pay for what I need to care for them and my dogs, and run this house. There are times when I have dark moments, I keep praying and they soon disappear.

My question is not meant to be theocratic. I can barely get around these days, as years of trauma injuries catch up to me. I am merely stating what helps me stay bright, upbeat, and to look at the things around me and be thankful for them.😇😇

even on the stormiest of days, there are no bad days on my farm. It is a big nut to crack, so to speak, but I would rather live here not having a lot of money in my checkbook, then to live in town in a small house surrounded by houses.
1759949550213.jpeg
 

Last edited:
I've posted somewhere about this before. I am a realist. I've had enough life experiences to know that when a problem arises, it has the potential of going either way. I could be positive and think it will all work out fine, or I could be negative and think all is doom, but neither will change the outcome. For that to happen, I have to start working on a solution and put it into practice.

On the other hand, if it's something I cannot change, like impending stormy weather, I do not sit in my recliner thinking all will be fine. I pay close attention to the weather and any warnings, and get prepared. Most people who have read my posts know I struggle with anxiety, so it would be rare indeed for me to stay calm through the storm. But that is not to say I expect the worse to happen when the storm comes, nor do I assume I will get through it unscathed. I prepare, wait, and see.
 
I'm a realist, so I anticipate and prepare for anything that I may face down the road, but having done that I tend to look at the positive side of things.

If something occurs like a flat tire (which has happened several times in the past few years) I just think of how I am going to fix it and go on with my day. When my father passed away 25 years ago and left me to take care of my mother at 43, I didn't freak out, I simply figured out the best way to undertake the task and moved forward. I never dwell on the negative or play the victim card.

I look for the good in things.
 
seadoug said:
I'm a realist, so I anticipate and prepare for anything that I may face down the road, but having done that I tend to look at the positive side of things.

If something occurs like a flat tire (which has happened several times in the past few years) I just think of how I am going to fix it and go on with my day. When my father passed away 25 years ago and left me to take care of my mother at 43, I didn't freak out, I simply figured out the best way to undertake the task and moved forward. I never dwell on the negative or play the victim card.

I look for the good in things.
Click to expand...
I like your attitude. When I was first diagnosed with cancer, my first thought was sadness but that was for a fleeting moment. My next thought was that I was just going to deal with it and that's what I did. I never once thought "poor me". I didn't want the cancer, but I wasn't any better than anybody else that was unfortunate enough to get it.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I’m optimistic, hopeful, etc…

It’s not as good as it sounds, I spend too much time thinking about how good the past was and how good the future will be but not enough time enjoying and being thankful about the present.

View attachment 456517
Click to expand...
Completely agree. Better to embrace the present than regret the past or worry about the future. Life is short, enjoy the 'now'. 💙 ☮️
 
seadoug said:
I'm a realist, so I anticipate and prepare for anything that I may face down the road, but having done that I tend to look at the positive side of things.

If something occurs like a flat tire (which has happened several times in the past few years) I just think of how I am going to fix it and go on with my day. When my father passed away 25 years ago and left me to take care of my mother at 43, I didn't freak out, I simply figured out the best way to undertake the task and moved forward. I never dwell on the negative or play the victim card.

I look for the good in things.
Click to expand...
I'm pretty positive, half full type. When I unexpectedly lost my husband a year ago, I was devastated and things were dark at first, I think that's natural when the love is strong.

But I started thinking of what I had to do, which was go on with my life as best I could and take care of all the things he dealt with over the years.

I looked at the big picture and knew that he died peacefully, at home, next to the person who loved him for a half century. We both told each other 'I love you', as we often did, one more time before bed that night.

He could have died violently in the streets, or suffered from a horrific car accident or had years of pain due to a serious disease.....but we were both blessed that that didn't happen. He'll always be my husband, I will always love and miss him, and I tell him that every day. I'm grateful for the positive memories. 💜
 
SeaBreeze said:
I'm pretty positive, half full type. When I unexpectedly lost my husband a year ago, I was devastated and things were dark at first, I think that's natural when the love is strong.

But I started thinking of what I had to do, which was go on with my life as best I could and take care of all the things he dealt with over the years.

I looked at the big picture and knew that he died peacefully, at home, next to the person who loved him for a half century. We both told each other 'I love you', as we often did, one more time before bed that night.

He could have died violently in the streets, or suffered from a horrific car accident or had years of pain due to a serious disease.....but we were both blessed that that didn't happen. He'll always be my husband, I will always love and miss him, and I tell him that every day. I'm grateful for the positive memories. 💜
Click to expand...
You are one amazing lady, and I have so much respect and admiration for you. Your post is inspirational and should be a lesson for all of us.
 
Marcy Sheiner said:
I am the quintessential negative curmudgeon! There are actually many positive sides to being like this: for ex, other people tell me things they don't tell others, bc my personality is one of "giving permission" to be negative and talk about heavy things.
Click to expand...
Hey, fellow editor @Marcy Sheiner, me too! On my first day of journalism school the reporting professor told the class he thought all editors were misanthropes. I'm not sure I'd say I'm a misanthrope, but "negative curmudgeon" sure seems to fit. 😁 And you're right: There are positive sides.
 
I am a grateful person. I also work to be more aware of the magnificence and enormity of this timeline. Every moment of everyday we have won a trillion dollar lottery in life.

There are evil people and enemies. I would prefer for everyone's sake that this was not woven into the story. But it is.
 
I lean more towards Realism... life has taught me that...

I try to be positive.. but I veer on the negative sometimes too... but generally I would describe myself as a realist!
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top