Leonard Ng

The Advantages of Optimism (and of Pessimism)

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emotions
Image by Gratisography.

Meditation helps us to see things as they really are, unclouded by our emotions and impulses.

Through diligent practice we learn to bring our minds under control, and so become more able to act wisely in the world.

That said, we humans do have a natural tendency to view the world through two major perception filters. Both of these can significantly affect our lives.

These two filters are optimism and pessimism.

And both of them can be good for you.

What Are Optimism and Pessimism?

Let’s think of optimism and pessimism as emotional lenses that affect the way we perceive the world.

Optimism can loosely be defined as a positive view of the world: the belief that life is generally good and/or that life will get better.

Pessimism is the opposite: a view of the world based on the belief that life is generally bad and/or that life will get worse.

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Slow Down to Go Faster: What to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

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low gear
Image by hhabicht.

Life can feel too much for us sometimes.

It feels like we have too many things to handle at once. Too many things to think about, too many things to juggle.

And when this situation lasts for too long it can start to feel like there isn’t any point to life any longer. After all, what’s the point of living when we no longer have the time or energy to do the things that are actually important to us, that actually give our lives meaning?

When faced with such a situation, it’s very easy to give in to despair and hopelessness. And most of the advice out there doesn’t help.

Because most of the advice out there falls into 2 broad categories: either 1) quit or 2) suck it up / force your way through.

The problem is that, in a great many situations, neither of these solutions is realistic.

Fortunately, there’s a better option.

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The Art of Momentum: How to Actually Finish What You Set Out to Do

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waterfall
Image by Isabella Jusková.

Those who make no mistakes have policies which naturally lead to victory. — The Art of War, 4

So you’ve made your resolutions for the new year, and hopefully at least one or two of them are achievement-based goals. As I pointed out in my last entry, achievement-based goals are the ones that give you the qualities money can’t buy: discipline, resourcefulness, commitment, and skill.

So how can we make sure that we successfully achieve what we have set out to do?

The answer lies in momentum.

Momentum is nothing more or less than the deliberate organization of your goals in a way that makes success inevitable.

Momentum is about creating a process and routine that will take you to your goal in the easiest possible manner. Then, once you have crafted your process, all you have to do is commit to it.

The process will then do all the heavy lifting for you.

Creating a Process that Works

When I was in the military, the army had a very simple way to increase the number of pull-ups new recruits could do:

  1. Drop by the conveniently located pull-up bar before lunch and before dinner.
  2. Pull till you can’t pull any more.
  3. Repeat.

It worked.

This process exemplifies the four most important principles behind any successful process: simplicity, convenience, frequency, and humility.

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Don’t Force Things, Flow with Them (Part 3)

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Surfer at Sunrise
Image by Frank McKenna.
A Rhythmic World

Life on our planet is all about rhythm.

Everything oscillates: inbreath and outbreath, high tide and low tide, day and night, waking and sleeping.

Our hearts beat in rhythm. That’s what keeps us alive.

Rhythm is made up of rise and fall, activity and rest. Often we think only in terms of activity, measuring our days by what we’ve done; but rest is what shapes our actions and makes them meaningful, just as the pauses between notes allow us to make sense of music.

The same applies to our own energy.

Four Kinds of Energy

Energy is about much more than physical tiredness. Generally speaking we have four kinds of energy: physical energy, emotional energy, mental energy, and willpower.

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