Positive Attitude Not Just for a 6-Year-Old
From time to time, I have spoken about my oldest child. Normally within the context of his activities and my engagement with him in those moments has delivered both blog content and a few mentions here or there in the podcast. And if you know me well, you know that my 9-year-old for all of his trials and tribulations early on in his life is truly my hero.
But one must not only have aspirational thoughts but also mentoring for a positive attitude. And that comes directly from my 6-year-old daughter.
Within the first two months of her life, as a dad looked into his daughter's eyes, I had told my wife that our daughter was going to be a handful. At that moment, probably defending her daughter to some degree, my wife looked back at me and said you can't know that. But I was right. She is a handful. But her unrelenting positive perspective, giving nature, addictive smile, and never-ending willingness to engage anyone and everyone is my inspiration. She is my spirit.
Having a positive attitude and looking at life through somewhat rose-colored glasses is actually a positive, as long as you're realistic. Whether it's better heart health, being more active, being more productive, overcoming obstacles, having better relationships, or recovering from challenges/setbacks, being positive is a personal and professional asset. And as an adult, it's harder to see the positive through all the challenges. And that's why my daughter is my spirit.
No matter how challenging the day has been, that infectious laugh and her willingness even at an early age to dig at her father just a little bit not only puts a smile on my face but a positive jolt to my heart. It's a reminder of what Robert Fulghum wrote about learning everything in life you truly need to know in kindergarten. He was more right than he realized.
Having both a hero and a spirit makes life so much more worthwhile. It doesn't hurt to also be completely in love 25 years on as well. What are the things in your life that make you smile? How do you do more of those or be around those people more often? If we spent more time with the people who give us a sense of positivity or do the things more often that we enjoy, life for everyone would be more joyous.
