Pathos

How do we define important concepts in our lives? Definitions are important. They give us a shared understanding, a depth of cognizance that transcends mere words.

Abraham Lincoln once said “People are about as happy as they decide to be.”

Is this true? If you did 100 pushups, would you say it made you tired? Or would you say it made you stronger?

What if I told you that your answer to that question is likely predictive of your long-term outlook for health, happiness, and satisfaction?

There are endless clichés about optimism as a force multiplier, but as a society we undervalue how our mindset affects every aspect of our lives. Considering events over the last year and more, it’s easy to focus on the negatives. While completely understandable, I remain hopeful. Reasons for optimism abound despite the obstacles that still lie before us.

The concepts of yin and yang are timeless. As advanced as we like to think of our society, we do not often have the luxury of being able to perfectly categorize much of anything along the lines of good and bad, healthy and harmful, and wise or foolish.

Few things are absolute in nature.

Oftentimes, the way we ultimately feel about the world and our place in it stems from our attitudes and perceptions. Like it or not, we can usually change our mindset faster than we can change our circumstances, but one begets the other.

There is an old saying that the optimist believes this is the best of all possible worlds while the pessimist fears this is true.

Our world offers the power to choose.

That power; that choice; is yours.