The Good in Me

When life seems to put us on a downward slope, either by ill fortune or by our own makings, it is easily to see ourselves as a caricature of who we really are. It is all too easy to let labels like loser, fool, failure, useless, and unlovable, drape over our shoulders. No matter what happens to us, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves amid, it somehow becomes second nature for us to see the negative in ourselves. Instead of learning lessons that could help us in future interactions, we become so defeatist, so beaten down that there is no fight left in us and we let our self-imposed labels do our speaking for us. I would also say that as we give into self-loathing, it becomes all too common for us also to become blind to the good in the world around us, whether it is the kindness of others or the beauty in a sunset, our shutters are closed and anything that might lighten our mien, is another opportunity missed.

If there was an easy path to turn around our dispositions, then either our depressions where mere indentations along the road of life or we have somehow stumbled upon the missing person, place, or thing that had caused the eclipse that we were enveloped in. Most often, the path through negativity and all the garbage that accretes onto it with time, just causes us to further slip away from life and the desire for living. Our existence just becomes a pathetic exercise in marking time. In such a situation, it does us good to remember that what we think defines us is mostly of our own making, our own perspective. We need to be reminded of the truth that there are some things that make each of us beautiful. For me I wanted to list five things that describe some aspect of good in me.

• I have consistently given everything that I have to my daughter to make her feel special, loved, and valuable.
  
• I have never taken my job for granted and still after nearly 3 decades of work, give my all each and every day.
  
• I have come to be much more generous as the years have gone by.
  
• For the most part, I try my best to be an honorable man.
  
• No matter how bad any day in my life might be, I still try to wake up each morning with a renewed spirit and a reasonably open mind.