“I promise myself… to look at the sunny side of everything and to make my optimism come true.”

These words are taken from a book originally published in 1912 by Christian D. Larson. They are part of what has come to be known as “The Optimist Creed”.

Does this phrase “to look at the sunny side of everything” mean even when I go to work day after day to a job that is both unfulfilling and becoming increasingly difficult to keep concentrating on?

Yes, it would seem so.

In my case, this is a job where the workload is decreasing and the shifts are becoming long and boring due to lack of consistent work. So what can be the sunny side of this? Well, to begin with, this job is a source of income and there are many people who do not even have that.

Is there anything else that could be the sunny side of this situation? It is in a climate controlled office and there are many jobs that people work at, some that I have done myself, that are outside in the elements.

Not only is the office climate controlled, it is also clean and well furnished. I have my own desk/cubicle that can be decorated with pictures of loved ones and other personal touches. There are other offices where personal touches are not allowed and/or are not as well furnished – been there too!

This is fascinating! As I start looking at the sunny side of just this one situation, it does not look so bleak anymore! There IS A SUNNY SIDE and there ARE things to be grateful for. And looking for the sunny side of things, does make everything just a little bit brighter!

What about your world? Is there something that feels a little bleak right now? It maybe time to sit down with pen and paper and make a list of the SUNNY SIDE of your situation.

There is more to the Optimist Creed that we can explore in other posts.

All the best,