During the days I commuted, sitting in traffic and looking for ways to distract myself from time ticking away, rude drivers, and long long lines of cars stretching out in front of mine, I listened to talk radio. Mostly news and traffic updates and opinion pieces. Forgettable, really. Except for one interview with a self-help kind of guy who said things that sounded not too outrageous, with the exception of something about maintaining your chakras, which I didn’t know I had, and how to deal with things going badly. He said, in that cheerful tone early risers use when they genuinely are morning people, “Say, “That’s great!'” I couldn’t imagine anything more foolish, saying what clearly isn’t, is. And then I tried it.
Un-great didn’t turn into great. What did happen with this forced bit of optimism was a sort of greasing of the wheels. New thoughts started coming. Helpful thoughts. Moving forward thoughts. Thoughts about what could be seen as good about the situation that I certainly didn’t see when it happened. So I could move forward, find solutions and not feel like the universe just shat on me.
I recommend it. It you find yourself stuck, you’ve now got grease. And that, my friend, is very great.