President Gordon Hinckley said this about optimism:
"Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the sunlight.
I am suggesting that as we go through life we accentuate the positive.
I am asking that we look a little deeper for the good, that we still our voice of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. What I am suggesting to each of you is that you turn from negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom you will associate, that we speak of one another's virtues more than we speak of one another's faults, that optimism replace pessimism,
that our faith exceed our fears. Look for good and build on it.
There is so much of the strong and the decent and the beautiful to build upon." (address at BYU Hawaii commencement, June 1983)
I love President Hinckley. He is such a great example of fortitude and optimism. This quote inspires me to find the positive and dwell on the good things in life. Some think that it is easier to be negative than positive, it is easier to find fault than to praise, and it is easier to pick apart rather than build. Do negative words and thoughts come off my tongue easier and more often than positive ones?
Sometimes I feel negative about the state of the nation, but the other night when we had our caucus meetings, I was thrilled at the simple freedoms that we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. We have the right to meet, we have the right to express opinions, and we have the right to vote. I need to be more positive about America.
So, my take away from President Hinckley's quote is to:
1. Look for the good in people.
2. Look for the good in the country.
3. Look for the good in situations I am in.
4. Look for the good in every lesson and talk I hear.
5. Look for the good in my husband and other family members.
6. Be a positive person. Positive people are pleasant to be around.
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