by Gundula Welti
07 Apr 2020
Being an optimist is a state of mind. Seeing the glass as half full, an opportunity in a crisis or failure as a learning opportunity are some of the qualities that enable you to lead a better life… And live longer! It’s scientifically proven.
Knowing all this, a handful of die-hard optimists created the league of optimists in 2010. Will it change the world? Pessimists would say that the league is totally insignificant and meaningless.
The optimist in me sees it as the start of something big. The beginning of a huge snowball effect that has only just been set in motion. Imagine all the creativity, impetus and unbridled enthusiasm that a huge wave of optimism would generate.
Everyone has the gift of optimism, you just need to let it out! Are you going to join the movement to change the world around you where you live and right across Europe and the globe?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
We all know someone who drives us to despair. This person has an amazing talent for systematically pointing out the one thing that’s not right.
You proudly show this person your new car and he or she will point out that the boot is too small for your shopping or too big to be able to park easily.
You tell them that you’ve bought a holiday flat by the sea and they’re sure to say that from now on you’ll always have to go there and you’ll never get the chance to go anywhere else.
Their talent is to find the 10% that’s not right, according to their standards.
The saviour side of me used to want to turn such people into optimists. But years of experience has taught me that the thing to do is to have a sort-out of my friendships. Instead of wanting to save these poor unfortunates, I’ve simply stopped seeing them. It does wonders for my nerves and my time management.
What about you? Who do you allow to spoil your enjoyment of buying things and making decisions? Do you need to have a sort-out?
by Gundula Welti
06 Apr 2020
Over the dinner table, a fatalist argues that the world is corrupt and all is lost. He says that politicians and all kinds of powerful people behind the scenes pull the strings and that an ordinary mortal is powerless to do anything about it. We are on the road to ruin.
I don’t agree. The optimist in me sees the beginning of a tsunami (even a tsunami starts off small).
I see little waves getting bigger wherever I go:
We eat less meat. So do our friends.
We buy from local producers. Their shops are full of people.
My holidays involve walking in the countryside. The growing popularity of hiking appears to confirm a trend.
James F. Twyman says we should be the change that we want to see. “If you want to experience peace, become peace.” He suggests that we start by creating inside ourselves what we want to happen externally.
If a certain number of people confirm a trend, we can create our own tsunami. Conversely, sitting on our sofas and moaning achieves nothing.
What about you? What contribution do you make to the tsunami of change that you want to see?
