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I am Intolerant of Cynicism

I really believe true cynics, those that believe people are generally selfish and dishonest, are few and far between. From time to time just about everyone I have ever met has had a few moments where they have demonstrated a cynical side but generally speaking I believe most of us are centered in being more humanist than cynic.

Although, I must say that my general observation has been that the more divided we are by boundaries of race, religion, community, politics and geography the more prevalent cynicism becomes. As it becomes more prevalent it is more widely tolerated and this tolerance breed’s cynicism as the spiral begins to be a self-fulfilled prophecy.

Much of this is rooted in conflict and in our culture the press thrives on conflict and cynicism. Stories abound nightly in living colour and in the intimate spaces of our homes as the news reports another abuse or disregard for life, laws, or values. Human indignities and horrific violations would appear to be the norm and not the exception if you were to take the news as your only source of human interaction. After a steady diet of conflict and catastrophe who wouldn’t develop a cynical view of the world.

So is my attitude wrong, am I being cynical if I declare myself intolerant of those who are cynical or am I just being unduly judgmental. Both of which are attitudes that I abhor in others but seem to fit fine into my life as long as I am the one making the rules.

These emotional conflicts are within us at many different levels. Fundamentally you need to know what matters to you and be comfortable with your terms of reference; not somebody else’s.

Think World Class

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Envy

Envy is the perfect example of an emotion that logically, we know serves no constructive purpose in our lives. It is comparing ourselves, our work, or our accomplishments and possessions to those of another person or group of people. Envy is self-defeating and demoralizing; it is an emotion that creates a status barrier and is selective in its argument. When we enter into an envious state we choose to look at only those things that we value the most and have an avid disregard for any possible negatives or the lifetime commitment employed by the person or people we are comparing ourselves to. Envy is the face of fear and self-loathing; it is the gateway to attack and slander. It has ruined public figures, heroes, political giants, and millions of ordinary people, envy is indiscriminate, it is a corner stone of middle class thinking.

At some time in our lives we have all been debilitated or limited by our own ego driven envy.

So what do we do when feelings of envy consume us? First and foremost let them go, dismiss them, reframe them, take a personal inventory with appreciative eyes. Choose to praise those that you envy and see them with sincere admiration, find beauty and not animosity.

If all of that fails you then wet your finger and stick it into a light socket. Seriously, just get over it; let it go quickly and as efficiently as possible. Otherwise you will never move beyond your limitations.

Live in light not the darkness ~ Think World Class.com

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Be Your Other Self

Confidence lies in deliberate rational thinking not in our DNA. Amid the doubts and fears that we all habour there is hope. The key is to employ your principal emotions as a power position and to segregate feelings of fear and doubt as secondary.

That does not mean that we should not acknowledge our secondary feelings. When appropriate we need to take the time to probe them with a stick and to see them for what they are. Drill down and with compassion; see our fears as the folly that they are. Sometimes the insecurities that we feel are not the problem, the problem is deeper.

The World Class knows that it is essential to investigate the why and to see the issues from a higher plain. What is helpful is knowing that the problem is just a forerunner of a new empowering perspective if we have the strength and commitment to look at it without attachment to a specific outcome or conclusion.

Listen to what your fears say about your “self-belief” consider the motives and be prepared to look at all sides (the true and the false) to achieve a deeper understanding of who you are.

Let go ~ Think World Class