Saturday, April 30, 2011

Z is for Zeal

People are odd. I find that no matter how long I live or how many folks I meet, I’m always surprised at the sheer differences in attitudes from one to another of them. With just four people in a room, I can experience four completely different views on life, personalities, outlooks and so on. Add ninety-six and I’d have a hundred different outlooks. It really is amazing.

I tend to be drawn toward those with a zeal for life. An eagerness to live, and to find out what’s around the next corner. I have known more than my share of Eeyore type personalities, and I can do without them. If more people understood that your outlook on life can really, really change things, I think maybe there wouldn’t be so many sour apples out there. We make our lives, not the other way around.

People with a zeal for life tend to smile more, they tend to have happier interpersonal relations with other upbeat people, and they tend to feel healthier, both physically and mentally. I’m not just talking out my ass here, either. It has been proven time and again that smiling and positive feelings actually help us as human beings in this life. Good things just happen to people who have zeal. Trust me on that one.

Negative people project negative energy, and they tend to find other negative people in that way. If I had a nickel for every time I have seen a group of people in the corner complaining to each other at a social function, I could probably retire by now. The doom and gloom attitudes of some people are baffling to me. I just wasn’t made that way. I naturally have a lot of zeal for this life, and a lot of energy, and migrate toward positive energy like a mosquito to a porch light. And I find it, every time. Our attitudes are like built-in GPS units, guiding us along. If we are negative and grumpy all the time, guess which paths we are going to take?

I don’t know if it’s possible for these Negative Nellie types to change their outlooks and find a zealous personality, but I imagine it isn’t. Although people have the ability to change certain things, our personalities are pretty much here to stay. I can change my outlook on a whole lot of different things, but life in general really isn’t one of them. A bunch of major, positive changes can really help these people, but it’s up to them to find and implement those changes, so they rarely occur. By the same token, I would need a few horrible events to happen, all in a row, in order to chase my zeal for life away. Sure, it could happen, but I don’t think it will. I love this place. Life is fun, people are fun, experiences are fun. Appreciate the little things, and big things find you.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've got such an energetic, positive way of looking at things, if this post is any indication!

Theresa Wiza said...

Just imagine how much more positive you'd be if you climbed out of your dungeon ;) Please find my latest A-Z Challenge blogs here: http://myheartblogstoyou.blogspot.com/

Langley Cornwell said...

I LOVE this post. Zeal is an excellent choice. Congratulations on finishing the A-Z Challenge.
Langley Writes about Writing

Unknown said...

Derek, you're almost a zealot about zeal. lol Glad to have met you during this challenge.

Lisa said...

You made my Best of A-Z list. Check out the post and the link below.

Lisa
InspiredbyLisa – Best of the A-Z Challenge

DeusExLibrus said...

Agreed wholeheartedly! Media seems to contribute to this A LOT, at least for me. I find the less I watch TV news or read the paper, the happier I am. What can I do about 99% of that stuff anyway? Is being informed about whats going on in Africa or the Middle-East really worth the negativity? Honestly, I don't think so. Focus on your community, where you can actually have an effect, and let the rest of the world do its thing. It certainly seems to have done just fine before you were here, and, I imagine, will continue on fine after you're gone.

Derek Odom said...

You bet. I don't watch news, I don't care about what is going on, I don't give a hoot about liberal/conservative or republican/democrat at all anymore. The lines are so blurred, anyhow, as to be nonexistent. As long as I'm making money, living my life, and taking care of family and friends, I don't give two shits about a war over oil. I just don't.