A New Year - time to be positive and recommit to making life better
- By Eugene Clark
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E-mail China.org.cn, January 8, 2016
As a teacher and father of two beautiful daughters, I especially worry that many of our young people are unduly fearful, anxious and negative. Some of the well-established ways of promoting positivity in our lives include:
1. Avoiding negative people who zap you of your energy;
2. Eat nutritious food and get regular exercise and sufficient sleep;
3. Keep learning, no matter what your age or state in life; seek mentors in your life with whom you can express your fears and be comforted by optimism and joy;
4. Laugh often and develop a sense of humor;
5. Get music into your life -- dance and sing;
6. Focus on your breathing and being conscious in the moment;
7. Turn off your mobile phones and disconnect periodically and take time to reflect and communicate at a deeper level with friends and loved ones;
8. Remember the paradoxes of life. For example, to find yourself you must lose yourself, to lead you must serve, the more you fail the more likely you are to succeed, the more you learn the more you realize how little you know, the more you fear death, the less you enjoy life.
All this does not mean we should ignore difficulties and challenges. It does mean that we should spend our energy focusing on those actions and engaging in activities that promote our well-being and enhance our chances of making progress in addressing our difficulties.
In the end, positivity and optimism are choices. Given that one's thoughts, choices, words and dreams are likely to shape our reality and guide our future, to encourage optimism is the right and best choice to make.
Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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