As part of our trek preparation, we were asked to study The Spirit of Optimism, by Gordon B. Hinckley.
In it, President Hinckley said this:
"I am asking that we 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 voices of insult and sarcasm, that we more generously compliment virtue and effort. I am not asking that all criticism be silenced. Growth comes of correction. Strength comes of repentance. Wise is the man who can acknowledge mistakes pointed out by others and change his course.
What I am suggesting is that each of us turn from the negativism that so permeates our society and look for the remarkable good among those with whom we 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. When I was a young man and was prone to speak critically, my father would say: 'Cynics do not contribute, skeptics do not create, doubters do not achieve.'"
Read the whole talk (it's really just a compilation of optimistic things President Hinckley said over the years) here.
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Wow, I really think you put this quote here for me! I have been wanting to address this with a loved one, but did not know how to go about it. I really, really needed this talk.
ReplyDeleteThis really speaks to me. I have been working the last three months to find the positive in my loved ones, and have found that the harder I look, the more I see. It's really improved my mood!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing!
So true - and a good reminder. It's easy for me to slip into the negativity cycle. But really it just takes a little bit to turn it around if I can only remember!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful Stephanie, thanks for sharing!
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