Positive Tension

"Erin, I'm not being negative. I'm not a pessimist - I'm a realist."

I like my glass half-full. Although I have the occasional bad day (or month) or a freakout, or two (or seventy), I fully subscribe to the notion that positive thinking leads to positive actions. If I honestly believe that I'm going to have a good day, I have a good day - it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Never underestimate the power of positive thinking. Or negative thinking, for that matter. I mean, you wouldn't walk down the aisle to marry the man of your dreams all the while thinking, "This is going to end in divorce," would you?

Doors get shut. People say, "No." But I have faith in my ability as a solution-oriented to utilize my time for productivity, rather than moping around, eating a melty pint of Ben and Jerry's goodness. I try to surround myself with positive thinking people in order to reinforce my philosophy of persistent positivity.. However, lately, I have been hard-pressed to find people that aren't gaping into their half-empty glasses.

In theory, Columbia should be filled with bright, young, eager minds, willing to share the positive ideas and dreams with their fellow classmates, looking forward into the horizon of opportunity (yuck). In reality, you find the most competitive, whiny, self-absorbed, negative, under-caffeinated, overcommitted people you will ever encounter in your natural life. There is no room for positive thinking. There is only room for self-doubt, self-loathing, and the oh so popular Columbia favorite, self-deprecation. But when I ask, why so negative, I get the blanket response, "Silly, naive Erin, I'm a realist."

Since when does being a pessimist make you a realist? I consider myself a realist, but not if that means I have to be negative. I find it particularly unrealistic to think that things will inevitably end badly. I'm no cock-eyed optimist (in fact, I have very little in common with Ado Annie), but I can't understand how someone can walk through life sweating the small stuff (and it's all small stuff).

So, in conclusion, if you're finding your glass less than full, have some of mine, and try to think positively. It's brighter over here.