IMPORTANT GOALS SPUR OPTIMISM
By Olivene Godfrey
Someone said that the greatest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making one. Gladstone said,” No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes."
But, alas, we often think we are perfect, that it's impossible for us to be wrong in any case. If our decisions backfire, we can always blame someone else.
Sometimes uncertainty is a way of avoiding mistakes and responsibility. We think if no decision is made, then nothing can go wrong. And to the person who thinks he is perfect, to be wrong is a horrible fate. We progress by acting, making mistakes, and correcting course. If you can't correct your course if you just stand still and do nothing. You can correct your course as you go along, by choosing one that seems to offer the best solution.
Big people, big personalities, make mistakes and admit them. It's the little person who is afraid to admit he had been wrong. Thomas Edison said he never became discouraged while working on a project because,"...every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."
Then we've all known the type personality who looks for a scapegoat or excuse for his failure. Usually he blames society, the Establishment, life, the breaks. And, of course, he resents the success and happiness of others. This seems proof that life has not been fair to him. Resentment is an attempt to make our own failure palatable by explaining it in terms of unfair treatment.
The person with a "chip on his shoulder" does not make the best companion or co-worker. When others don't warm up to him, he has additional reasons for feeling resentful. Some people seem to feel good only of they are miserable. And, they literally begin to search for "injustices". They feel they have been wronged under the most innocent circumstances.
The truth is you set your own goals. No one owes you anything. You are responsible for your own success and happiness. Resentment is a "failure mechanism" and is self-perpetuating unless we step in and break the vicious cycle. The person who is actively engaged in striving toward an important goal doesn't have a pessimistic outlook for life. Striving toward goals which are important to you - not for status symbols - but because they are consistent with your deep inner needs, is healthful. I think that my mother who died at age 92 still making plans for the future lived that kind of life, of always having a project to work on and goals to look forward to.
By Olivene Godfrey
Someone said that the greatest mistake a person can make is to be afraid of making one. Gladstone said,” No man ever became great or good except through many and great mistakes."
But, alas, we often think we are perfect, that it's impossible for us to be wrong in any case. If our decisions backfire, we can always blame someone else.
Sometimes uncertainty is a way of avoiding mistakes and responsibility. We think if no decision is made, then nothing can go wrong. And to the person who thinks he is perfect, to be wrong is a horrible fate. We progress by acting, making mistakes, and correcting course. If you can't correct your course if you just stand still and do nothing. You can correct your course as you go along, by choosing one that seems to offer the best solution.
Big people, big personalities, make mistakes and admit them. It's the little person who is afraid to admit he had been wrong. Thomas Edison said he never became discouraged while working on a project because,"...every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward."
Then we've all known the type personality who looks for a scapegoat or excuse for his failure. Usually he blames society, the Establishment, life, the breaks. And, of course, he resents the success and happiness of others. This seems proof that life has not been fair to him. Resentment is an attempt to make our own failure palatable by explaining it in terms of unfair treatment.
The person with a "chip on his shoulder" does not make the best companion or co-worker. When others don't warm up to him, he has additional reasons for feeling resentful. Some people seem to feel good only of they are miserable. And, they literally begin to search for "injustices". They feel they have been wronged under the most innocent circumstances.
The truth is you set your own goals. No one owes you anything. You are responsible for your own success and happiness. Resentment is a "failure mechanism" and is self-perpetuating unless we step in and break the vicious cycle. The person who is actively engaged in striving toward an important goal doesn't have a pessimistic outlook for life. Striving toward goals which are important to you - not for status symbols - but because they are consistent with your deep inner needs, is healthful. I think that my mother who died at age 92 still making plans for the future lived that kind of life, of always having a project to work on and goals to look forward to.
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