People are always quick to point out the negative side of business and life. I want you to spend the rest of this month focused on the positive. There are lots of reasons to be cheerful. Here are ten of them:
- Money is cheap – When I bought my first house interest base rate was 15% and predicted to go higher. Today rate fluctuations are far less scary. You can borrow with greater confidence.
- Travel is easy – We might moan about Ryan Air’s lack of customer care, but their fares are cheap. It’s easy to travel and affordable too.
- Equality is law – Prejudice remains but at least it’s now against the law to be ageist, sexist, homophobic etc. We can all come out and be ourselves in more safety than ever before.
- The sun’s always shining – even if there are some black clouds in the way. Every day the sun shines and most days we get to see some. We also have seasons here in the UK, so the landscape is always changing.
- Tomorrow’s another day – However horrible today turns out for you, tomorrow presents the opportunity to make a fresh start. We learn by making mistakes so celebrate cock-ups and look forward not back.
- You don’t have to retire – I met a man recently who still works at 85. Admittedly he’s a writer and so in a profession where work is more cerebral than physical. My point is, that unless you’re 85 already, you have many years left to realise your ambitions.
- Music is all around us – People like Handel and Bach could only listen to the music they created with the help of an orchestra. We can listen to it any time, anywhere using low cost gadgets. Music was a luxury and now it’s readily available.
- No one starves in Britain – We may not like paying taxes but the money we pay means that when the going gets tough you won’t starve. Even going bust need not be the disaster it might at first appear to be.
- Pain is largely optional – A friend’s mother recently died and I was impressed by the way she was kept free of pain and anxiety in her final days. Medical science means we don’t usually need to ensure lasting pain.
- Individuality is OK – Although at times it’s hard to believe, we do live in a world where individualism is valued. People’s fear and insecurity can cause them to encourage you to conform, but being yourself is liberating, satisfying and no one’s really going to stop you!
