POSITIVE, EXUBERANT OUTLOOK HAS MANY BENEFITS

By: Robert D. Foster

A University of Texas study suggests that people with a positive attitude age more slowly than pessimists. A team of researchers studying 1,558 older people reported that cheerful types were less frail. The study speculates that positive emotions may directly affect health by altering the chemical balance of the body.

In her latest book, Exuberance: The Passion of Life, Kay R. Jamison celebrates the gift of exuberance – which she describes as a propelling force in discovery, creativity, leadership and survival itself.

“Exuberance drives all of us to think and act in slightly different ways than we otherwise would do, to take risks we would not otherwise take, to tolerate pain and setbacks we might otherwise find incapacitating,” Jamison writes. “It allows or gives us the optimism to believe in the future and in the possibilities and importance of what we are and what we are doing; it forces us out into a greater arena of life.”

It’s not hard to recognize exuberance in those people that have it. Former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt fairly bubbled over with the stuff. Legendary showman P.T. Barnum’s unflagging exuberance led him to create ever more spectacular feats of razzle-dazzle for his circus-going clientele, even into his last years.

Snoopy, the buoyant beagle in the “Peanuts” comic strip, may be the world’s most exuberant canine. Winston Churchill’s exuberant character may have saved the world from the tyranny of Adolph Hitler. And exuberance was the engine that drove naturalist John Muir to the American wilderness; as a result, today we have the breath-taking and unforgettable Yosemite and Sequoia national parks.

Someone has observed that researchers have devoted more than twice as much space to “negative” emotions, such as depression and anxiety, than they have to “positive” ones. Yet these buoyant, uplifting moods may be the most significant of all!

I suspect that King Solomon, who reigned over ancient Israel, would totally agree with Dr. Jamison’s conclusions about the value and importance of exuberance in every facet of daily living. His writings in the book of Proverbs would strongly indicate that. Here are a few examples:

“A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; A sad heart makes it hard to get through the day” (Proverbs 15:13).

“A miserable heart means a miserable life; A cheerful heart fills the day with songs” (Proverbs 15:15).

“A cheerful disposition is good for your health; Gloom and doom leave you bone-tired” (Proverbs 17:22).

Remember this: A blacksmith can do nothing when his fire goes out. In a similar way, when flames of our internal fire die out, our eagerness and enthusiasm for life – for work, relationships, even the ordinary activities of the day – start to fade. Our skills and personal gifts become underutilized, and our potential for making significant contributions to the people and world around us diminishes markedly. We need to “rekindle our flame” to renew a positive, energetic approach to life and its challenges. And while you’re at it, try to fan the flames of the exuberant people around you. We have too much negativity already; promote the power of the positive!

Taken and adapted from Take Two On Monday Morning, written and published by Robert D. and Rick Foster. Permission to reproduce with proper credit is freely given and encouraged.

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This is so true in life. What a serious and major change this can make!