“The absence of the negative is not the same thing as the presence of the positive. “ Julia Boehm
Today’s quote comes from a study that was conducted that showed optimistic people were up to 50% less likely to suffer a stroke, heart attack or other cardiovascular event, than those who looked at life through a non-optimistic lens. Perhaps the most interesting finding was this; The study participants who claimed to be comfortable and happy with their lives did not fare much better than those who were downright negative. Seems confusing right? The researchers found that the key ingredient that seemed to protect participant’s cardiovascular health was blatant optimism. Comfortable neutrality did not offer the same benefits, even though study participants ranked their lives as being happy.
Optimism is a bold emotion. It stands up and says “Yes”, when the rest of the world mumbles “maybe…” Simply put, mediocrity dumbs us down… even our biology seems to realize this. There is no reason for any of us to settle for mediocrity- moment by moment in our lives, we can choose to live bold. Go out into the world today and find a plant, or a weed, or a vine, that has either slipped through a tight space, or pushed up through the pavement… and when you find it, spend a moment reflecting on how much optimism that little plant must have held as it pushed through darkness… and then follow its lead…. And push your way through toward the light!