Make the most out of your life! |
Have you ever noticed that we are never really quiet inside our heads?
Just try it. When we sit in a lonely corner, away from others for a coffee break, we keep on thinking. We can’t stop ourselves from thinking. While the body feeds us sensory data from our surroundings, we respond to that.
During prehistoric times, humans relied on their instincts to survive. Scientists have called this the fight or flight response wherein a person instantaneously chooses to fight and defeat his adversary or run away to stay alive.
Our body, perceiving a threat, energizes the essential cells to prepare for a fight or a flight. Our body becomes more prepared, our muscles get all the blood they need, sugar and fat are burned hastily.
In modern times, the fight or flight response is still useful in a nominal capacity for situations against robbers, hold-uppers, or drunkards.
For the average citizen like us, the only violence we encounter is usually verbal or on the Internet. But, what most people don’t realize is that the violence and hurt they inflict upon themselves inside their own heads.
Being social animals, we are expected to interact with others to have a good life. In cities and towns we constructed, this is unavoidable and people deal with it in different ways to eke a living out of these concrete jungles.
Sometimes fight or flight responses take over into areas of contact that do not require an intense response. This may be due to undisciplined use of negative reinforcement techniques in childhood, a traumatic experience, genetics, the environment, etc.
In the average Filipino, this manifests into everyday life. For example, being the butt of jokes by peers, trying to ask a girl out for a date, or getting singled out by their boss. These are situations that, to most people, are times of extreme stress.
So how can we overcome these extremely stressful situations? We must train ourselves to see these situations in another way. A “Can Do” attitude reflects this outlook.
To make the most of our life, we have to accept living to the fullest. Having a “can do” attitude shows that life to you is:
A journey.
Don’t worry about the destination, enjoy the process. We are expected to make mistakes. If it does happen, why make a big fuss? Accept the mistake, make sure we learn the lessons and then move on. Let’s be thankful that we had the opportunity to learn something new. If the lesson is not learned, life comes back to teach it again and again until we get it.
Not to be taken too seriously.
Life taken too seriously only makes the tense person more stressed. Laugh, have fun. Accept that nothing is perfect. It is perfectly typical to see that you can eat ice cream with French fries. Life comes in all shapes and sizes.
Not about survival, but about living well.
Life is hard enough without letting art and beauty into the individual life. The “can do” person knows why he is here because he had taken the time to know his purpose. Whether that purpose is to teach personal finance, or to be president of the Philippines, the “can do” person does it with two feet on the ground and his eyes fixed on the future.
Half full, not half empty.
We have learned from society a kind of sickness. That for people to survive, it is better to see things in a negative way. The point is wholly missed. Life depends on how you see it. Having a “can do” attitude is quite the optimistic realist. An optimistic realist knows that a lot of things can go wrong because that’s just how the world works, but that does not stop him from trying out opportunities to take him to better places and better living. Fear should not be allowed to dictate action, only warn. Logic is never used to find reason not to do it, but is used to achieve the optimist’s goals.
Is not lived alone.
“Can do” people know that people are more than willing to help them. This is because the world reacts to sincerity in a way that we react to a child. A “can do” person is an ambassador of change, not hesitating in helping others along the way. Others are also on their way to becoming better. Help yourself by helping others. Develop trust, friendship and love, but never be astounded at the ambiguity when you stumble upon it. Just accept it as part of the process.
Having a “Can do” attitude can definitely take us places we never dreamed of.
This is part twelve of 15 (yes, fifteen!) posts about The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Self-Confidence, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking this link to receive free updates (not to mention a FREE E-Book!).
Part I: The Shocking Truth About Self-Confidence
Part II: 5 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your Confidence
Part III: 5 Surprising Characteristics of Someone Who Fears Rejection
Part IV: How to Cope With the Fear of Losing Your Loved One
Part V: How to Overcome the Fear of Failure
Part VI: Warning: Do Not Let Your Shyness Overpower You
Part VII: The Minimalist Guide to Good Posture
Part VIII: Secrets of Supermodels: How to Walk with Confidence
Part IX: 8 Steps to a Proper Handshake
Part X: How to Improve Self-Confidence through Eye Contact
Part XI: How to Utilize Self-talk and Develop Your Self Confidence in 7 Minutes
To our success in all areas of life,
Argel Tiburcio
I’m on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/argeltiburcio
Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68134711@N00/3152875867
Argel Tiburcio
Latest posts by Argel Tiburcio (see all)
- MediCard Outpatient Plus Prepaid HMO: Affordable Healthcare Anytime, Anywhere - October 1, 2024
- Introducing AIA Max Protect: A Comprehensive Life Insurance Solution - April 2, 2024
- Top 5 Common Misconceptions Filipinos have about Insurance - January 8, 2024