Jonathots Daily Blog
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To review: a POPULIE is an idea which is popular but is laced with a lie.
It is something we agree to when we’re around large groups of people, but privately either question or dismiss as irrelevant when applying it to our own lives.
One of these is the contention that it is important in all of our dealings to “always be positive.”
Politics loves it because promises get votes. Reality often scares people away.
Entertainment favors this particular populie of “always be positive” because it gives them an ending to a movie that the audience members can predict, making them feel smart and preferably, happy.
And religion touts this precept because we have this imbalanced notion that faith is about believing that good things will always happen because God is in control. (Of course, on the flip side, spiritually it makes us believe that when bad things happen, we’re being punished.)
I think the most important question we can ask is what kind of people does this create and what kind of society does it evolve?
If you’re going to live a life where you’re always trying to be positive, you will view trials, tribulations and hassles as deterrents to your cause instead of little friends–pesky as they are–who come along to warn you of fallacies in your plans.
So if you’ll allow me to offer an alternative to this populie:
THE CORE OF FOUR
Yes, let me introduce you to the Core of Four.
We need to determine what our outlook should be in any given situation. To get this information, simply ask four quick questions:
1. What do I see?
Faith is not about poking your eyes out until you become blind. Faith is about accepting what you see, but then also being able to see beyond it, to further possibilities. You will never be successful if you’re not able to deal with reality. Matter of fact, one of the signs of mental illness is the insistence that reality should “go away.”
2. What do I believe?
Sometimes the things you want to accomplish are not yet seen, but the need for them is still in existence. Belief is a wonderful combination of what we see, what we desire and what we’re willing to endure.
3. What will I do?
A positive attitude is quickly killed off by an unwillingness to participate. I won’t tell people I think a plan will work if I cannot commit to them how I will be involved. For after all, nice words and encouraging prayers are not very helpful in the heat of the struggle.
4. And finally, what are the prospects?
As I take a look at what I see, what I believe and what I’m willing to do, it pretty quickly becomes obvious what the logical prospects are for the adventure.
After this evaluation, I can choose my profile.
- Often I can be passionately positive, because my “see, believe, do and conclusions” are very encouraging.
- On other occasions, it’s important to be realistic. That which I see, believe, and am willing to do show my prospects to be within the realm of possibility–but maybe not quite as fruitful as I once thought.
- And finally, there are times when it is required for us to be needfully negative. What we see, believe, and are willing to do has brought forth prospects which show that this particular endeavor is doomed.
A fruitful process. It is the absence of the populie which tells us that we should walk around with a smirk on our face, saying that everything will be fine, when secretly we’re dying inside.
Don’t forget your Core of Four. This will help you to choose the right attitude to approach each and every opportunity.
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Jonathots Daily Blog 