Seek Positive Emotion as a Path to Success

A smile will do wonders for your day.

Crappy day, crunching numbers the whole day, missed the deadline for your boss, missed your bus and got caught in the rain.

Little girl on the next bus (which was 40mins late) smiles at you and everything is okay with the world.

The first picture I had in my head was a super hot girl (of the older variety) pouting her lips and smiling at you on the bus... but then I realized that she might be smiling at you with pity and secretly laughing at your sodden and dishevelled appearance.

But a 5-year old angel of a child's smile at that point, while still laughing at you, will covey that sense of innocence and wonder that little children effortlessly convey. It's more laughing WITH you rather than AT you actually.

And rather than getting home and snapping at your beautiful wife, (who wouldnt have liked the hot girl smiling at you anyway) going to bed misreable and having an even worse day at work the next day, you kiss your wife, take a shower and go to bed with the feel of a loved one's kiss and the memory of a smile that made up for the crappy day.

And BECAUSE of all the positive emotions, you go to work the next day and not only submit the report but also suggest strategies for pulling the company out of its downward spiral and they promote you to CEO.

Ok, a bit simplistic I know.

But in said story lies a moral. Success does not bring happiness. Nay. It is the other way round. Those who are happy and content with their lot in life but who want to continue to see smiles and contentment in their lives are more likely to seek out ways to make this happen. And even if they dont suceed at first, they have the fall-back cushion of what made them seek out that success in the first place. To generate more positive emotions so to speak.

And even if there seems to be little or nothing to generate positive emotions, the key word here is "seems". There is ALWAYS something to bring a smile to your face. It's all about perspective people.

Me? I am an incurable optimist. Even when I lay hooked up to a echo-cardiac machine that beeped when I so much as lifted an ass-cheek to fart, all I could think of was how it would make a great party story. Or a great blog post.

An incurable sanguine, who feeds off positive emotions I am quick to surround myself with people who ooze positive emotions. And can consume great quantities of wine and still argue the merits of the death penalty.

So think happy thoughts and think your way to success so you can make more than your peers.