What are some of the things that help create and foster a positive outlook?

Ever notice that some people have an ability to get something positive out of almost any situation? These people also are fountains of ideas. They don't get stuck very often on a problem and when they do, even if they are unsuccessful, they will tell you most sincerely that they received some benefit from it.

I consider myself one of these people. As a matter of fact my whole family has at their core the "problem solving gene". What is it that gives some people this outlook on life?.

Creative, Positive, Actions:

There are several factors I believe but for most I think the nurturing of curiosity is the thing that enables everything else. I fondly remember sitting on the floor of my parent's bedroom with my sister watching my father build a simple electromagnet out of some wire, I nail, and a battery. While he was obviously trying to inspire us and we couldn't have been more than four or five years old respectively. Was how happy he was to be building something simple having fun and see his children get inspired. I think dad knew, that his lesson was so important and he was overjoyed that his children were getting it.

The other big factor which became obvious when we were teenagers was to appreciate and enjoy hard work. It always feels wonderful when you have put effort and focus into something. As long as you can understand the reasons behind the difficulties you will gain something. Life was meant to be understood so that you can see your way through the challenges.

The third lesson in fostering a positive outlook is to be responsible for undertaking actions. In other words, don't look for someone else to do the work. Whenever possible do it your self. This will build up so much not only in self-esteem but it will strengthen your entire sense of being.

And now here is the companion video to this short article:(Updated: Oct 9, 2023)

 This is a little addendum:

As I was reciting the video for this article I ended up really inspiring myself and came up with a plethora of ideas. This proves to me that encouraging the creative and curious spirit is one of the major aspects of developing a positive outlook. Also very important is the willingness to understand that when life is working correctly, you are for ever changing. Don't hold onto who you are, I think you'll find that impossible to do anyway.

It is also far better to try something and fail at it if need be, and yet pull something useful out of the experience. This may be the real lesson here: "Find the Silver Lining" in any experience. It always exists. Even in the most difficult of situations. Sometimes what you learn now may not be immediately apparent and may not be useful for years but I'm willing to bet my very life that down the road somewhere some little bit of knowledge will put you and an advantage. Giving you just a little bit more insight than if you had not had all the experiences you've had thus far.

 The inspiration just keeps on going…

As mentioned in the video, I accidentally came up with a bit of spontaneous artwork which started as a simple sunburst. Below are the full size still images.

• To save an image, first click on it so that it enlarges. Then right click and choose "save image as" or "save link as". The terminology varies a little bit between different devices. If you have any trouble, leave a comment. Or use the feedback box available on most devices. On some smaller phones and tablets this feedback box is not available. But it is clearly visible when using a laptop on every page.

I hereby place following images in this post in the public domain. No attribution required.

The still photographs.

As usual, clicking on any image, then right clicking will allow you to download it.

 The stills, were done using "Particle Shop" for the starburst, and Paintshoppro Ultimate for the kaleidoscopic effect.

The animated versions will follow shortly, in a day or two. (The animations are now posted below. Keep scrolling you will see them at the end of the post.)They pose a small problem because they are so short which makes them unsuitable for posting to YouTube. So the best idea is to convert them to GIF, but I have to keep the size small as not to overload mobile devices.

The Animations

The animations are now on a separate page. Click here to access it. Be aware these are large files. While most phones and other mobile devices can handle them they will take some time to load.

This is why they have been moved to a separate page.

As always feel free to leave comments or suggestions. Take care Patrick

What if some people actually don't like to think?

"You can't have motivation without the effort of thought."

At first, I thought it was such an oddthought: "What if some people actually don't like to think." Well, the more I thought about it, the more I began to consider the idea seriously. 40 years ago it would've been truly preposterous. If you wanted to know something you had to put effort into either finding the information and then drawing conclusions from it based on whatever criteria you had in mind.

But consider for a moment how easy it is now days to find out something almost immediately, and based on previous activity on the Internet it is likely to be tailored to their viewpoint., Literally, "No Thinking Required." They receive a minor endorphin it from the brain and then move on to the next stimulating thumbnail on YouTube. I know people like this, quite a few and across a wide range of ages. Not only do they usually have difficulty in going outside of their mental comfort zone to solve a problem, they usually have no idea how to start. This topic has come up several times on this blog, and I think it's because of at least two reasons:

1. I find the idea of not liking the effort involved in thinking and considering something very foreign. It is almost confusing to me.
   
   
2. I always feel a great sense of achievement when I come to the solution or the conclusion. Especially if it's been a truly challenging one. (Right now I have such a case. Implementing voice dictation on a raspberry pi in such a way that it will be useful to a blind person. In other words I have to make it straightforward to turn off and on.  So far I have spent several weeks at this endeavour but I know I will get it solved. Progress is slowly revealing itself.)

Yet many people really do dislike the effort of figuring something out. This is a very dangerous way to go through life from my perspective.--- I mean, what is life without understanding? Not to mention you miss a great deal of the whole point of being alive, because the joy and growth are found in the details of something. Society itself is built on the idea of details. An understanding that the community has agreed on something and the knowledge of why that brings you together. This all takes effort and indeed a fair bit of thought.

Maybe that's why I find people losing their social skills. People that are focused on just a very narrow outlook and stay within their comfort zone can possibly really socialize and make those marvellous connections. Not to mention the insights that come from working with society.

Yet I think it's very easy to turn this situation around; it entails however slowing down and breaking away from the perceived need to move from one thing to another quickly. In other words no marathon surfing on your device. That is a good starting point. The other of course is turning off the autopilots in your behaviours and being present in the moment. Start to notice things around you. Indeed pay attention to how you feel at any given moment you choose.

At first, I'm sure it will feel uncomfortable. This is understandable because your reawakening skills. At first they will be cumbersome and you will be overly aware of them. But within a few days I am sure you will see the benefits. This does not mean you have to swear off technology or routines that give you pleasure. Just become more aware of who and where you are. Add that dimension back into your life.

Then you will find with the human race has globally known for a long time: "Fulfilment, Awareness, Thinking and Effort are key ingredients to a great life."

Take care and as always feel free to leave comments. I will most likely at a short video to this article within the next week or so. Stay tuned 😀

Patrick