Accentuate the Positive

I have this new friend here in Texas and he is quite possibly one of the most optimistic and positive people I've ever met (especially in a male body). I've really enjoyed observing and getting to know him over the past few weeks because just when I think he can't surprise me anymore, he does. He chooses to see things in a positive light and to really find peace with his course of life. The other night he stated, "I look at my grandparents and I think to myself, 'I can be that great in 65 years if I just keep going'."

I have another friend in Texas who is also one of the happiest people I've ever met. She avoids complaining like it was the plague because she feels its better in life to have joy. She understands there is a need to vent, but when it comes to complaining it is something she just doesn't do. She also sees good in every situation, every person, everything. Her disposition is that of happiness and her face truly reflects joy. 

One last friend, has a natural strength for 'positivity'. Everyday, as we communicate through text/FaceTime/emails, I find that she's always influencing my train of thinking or the way in which I relate my feelings about a topic. Her natural need for positivity helps me to step back from a situation and recognize the good all around. 

Its interesting to observe and interact with these friends. Each, in their own way, has been shaping and molding this own desire of my heart to become more content with the world around me. Luckily, each of them is a safe person-someone that I feel I can trust (which is amazing if you know anything about me!). I find that I want to spend more time around them, to learn more about how they choose this better perspective, and to start changing my own responses and perspectives. 

I'm not necessarily a negative person-I don't like those feelings, however I recognize that most of my life has been about preparing myself for disasters which results in a more pessimistic outlook. But I also recognize that as I continue to progress in life, I have this intense desire to have more contentment, more peace, and more joy. Because that's what God's plan is all about-that beautiful Plan of Happiness. 

I've got a long way to go on this journey-but it really is just what I need and I am so excited to progress this way. I'm grateful for new friends, who are positive and good-who challenge me to be better. I'm grateful for the ability to trust them and to open myself to their influence. And I'm really grateful for the opportunity to 'accentuate the positive' in my own life. 

"I come to you tonight with a plea that we stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight. I am suggesting that as we go through life we try to 'accentuate the positive.' I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. Now I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man or woman who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his or her course. What I am suggesting is that you turn from the negativism that so permeates our modern society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom you associate, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism, that our faith exceed our fears. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my wise father would say: 'Cynics do not contribute. Skeptics do not create. Doubters do not achieve.' "

-President Gordon B. Hinckley