What should be the color of the world?
The head coach of Unlock Training, Nara Muller, wrote another article about happiness. At this time she addressed the issue “the Pollyana principle” and brought a good tip to be motivated and happy. The original article was written in Portuguese and it’s available at: https://www.hitradar.com.br/carreira/o-principio-de-pollyanna/
The Pollyanna principle: what’s the point of seeing the world through gray glasses?
3 August 2017
Few years ago, in an informal meeting between co-workers, two of them discussed the cruelty in the world, the suffering of people at work, the social inequalities, the lack of political interest of the rulers and so on. The conversation was held by some pizzas and a bottle of wine. I tried to bring up the good things that I perceived day by day, such as students going to College, people well employed and performing volunteer work to help those who were less fortunate.
At a certain point one of my colleagues looked to me and she said: “Nara, you see the world through pink glasses.” And completed her thought, calling me “Pollyanna”. (Pollyanna by Eleanor h. Porter, tells the story of an 11-year-old girl who used to play the “glad game”). At that moment, I felt a little ashamed and thought how much I showed ingenuity facing this “gray” world.
Few days later, when I was deciding a big change in my career, I said to that colleague that I would like to be more demanding with people, be more assertive – I wanted to be a little more like her. My colleague looked back into my eyes and said: “and I wish I had your sweetness”.
WHY DOES THE WORLD SEEM SO GRAY?
After I started my career as a coach, I have been studying the possible factors that make people being happy or frustrate on their relationships and at their workplaces.
There are so many factors that cause suffering to people like unpunished corruption, the lack of employment, precarious health system, urban violence, drugs that affect many families. All those factors are intensified through the amount of information that comes to us every day. External stimuli can be good, but they can also be very harmful to our happiness.
Many people hire me to help them set and achieve their goals, and some of the things that they report in their statements about me are that I am a “good listener” and that I help them to increase their self-confidence. I love knowing that I am making a difference on others’ lives and hear or read those statements and the one that I most like is: “Nara, your smile and your joy is contagious!”
MY RECIPE FOR HARD TIMES
It is true that, occasionally, I face situations that cause me pain and suffering, but I am absolutely convinced that I am a happy person.
All of us face those days when we would prefer staying home instead going to work. That can be because we know that there is something very boring or extremely difficult to be done. Right? I’ve been there before and, even today, I face some situations like those and my recipe for these moments is simple: “I know that, by the end of the week this work will be done – and I am going to strive to get the most positive possible outcome of it.”
It is necessary seeing the reality, but put a little pink in life is essential for us to be happy and improve happier lives for other people.
THERE IS A CHALLENGE FOR YOU:
Over the next week think about how you will feel accomplished by winning a challenge with determination and firmness, but also with sweetness.
Choose to be happy: be a little bit like Pollyanna.