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Today's
Meditation:
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We
choose the person we present to others as
ourselves. We choose to say things and do
things that can bring others up and encourage them,
or bring them down with discouragement. It
could be a very valuable exercise for us-- and for
all the people we affect with our words and
actions-- if we were to examine the words and
behaviors of other people that we truly appreciate
and value, and then do our best to do and say
similar things. We value those attributes for a
reason, and if we adopt them in our own behaviors,
we can help other people to see the positive sides
of life.
Cheerfulness,
of course, can't be turned on like electricity at a
light switch or water at a faucet.
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It
is, though, more often a choice than not. Often we
don't even think about the choices we're making before we
speak or act, but that doesn't mean that we're not
choosing. Being cheerful also doesn't mean being
unrealistically bright and chipper, ignoring things that
are going wrong. Giving constructive criticism is
important, and it's not necessarily being gloomy and
negative-- sometimes the most positive things we can do
involve dealing with problems that truly need to be dealt
with.
Why
not try to show others your cheerful side? Why not
try to make them feel good by seeing your cheerful
example? Why not contribute positive energy to a
situation-- why not share your energy with others (being
cheerful) rather than trying to suck their energy out of
them by bringing them down (being gloomy)? The
choice most definitely is our own.
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