This is a guest post by my wonderful, funny and wise grandfather, Trog. Thanks for sharing, Trog.
I recently wrote about enthusiasm being your best friend. So, if enthusiasm is your best friend—then what is your worst enemy?
That would be the opposite of enthusiasm, optimism, and happiness.
that would be pessimism, unhappiness, darkness, gloom and meanness.
I once had a friend who I worked with. Sometimes we went to lunch together, and sometimes we had to work on a case together. He seemed just like a regular “guy,” but spending time with him usually depressed me. He seemed to have no love of life. There was no excitement or happy expectation of anything. I think he was trying to be sophisticated by being unemotional. He was blase, bored, and disappointed with his life. He seemed to think that he was too high and mighty to be doing such a dull job.
There are no jobs that are “dull” only “dull” people who don’t know how to make their job interesting and exciting. I’ll grant you sometimes it takes a lot of creativity and imagination. Sometimes you have to “work at it.” But, life is all about how you perceive things… another case of attitude controlling your altitude.
the lesson to learn is don’t let these unhappy complainers, and critics drag you down to their level. don’t let them grind you down. sometimes it is hard to resist joining them in their weltschmerz (german)—”world woe”; romantic melancholy and sentimental pessimism.
I’ll end this missive with a tag line from the film The Bridge on the River Kwai (William Holden and Alex Guinness). The director of the film was David Lean–who also directed Lawrence of Arabia.
You probably know the story- locale –a POW camp in the jungle of S.E. Asia. The POW’s are captured British soldiers who are being starved and beaten and made to work on the railroad. The Japanese Colonel in charge of the camp–stands on a box and addresses newly arrived prisoners. He says, the motto of this camp is: “Be happy in our work.”
(Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/zoomar/145322737/)