Are You a Treasure Seeker or a Trash Collector?

I recently stumbled across a thought-provoking post intended to help teachers cultivate practical optimism in their classrooms. However it became clearer as I read that it contained ideas applicable to every single one of us.

The post was written by Marcus Conyers who, with Donna Wilson, is co-developer of the M.S. and Ed.S. Brain-Based Teaching degree programs at Nova Southeastern University.

The post discussed that until recently optimism was considered to be an unchangeable trait. Now it is understood that optimism is a way of thinking that can be learned and enhanced. Convers and Wilson are developing tools to help students become more optimistic and thus better able to increase their ability to deal with stress, solve problems, stay healthy, and persist when work gets hard.

I loved a story shared in the post that suggested that in life there are two types of people.

The first are treasure hunters who seek out what is useful and positive and then focus, think, and talk about it. Each of these moments is treasured like a bright, shining jewel they store in their treasure chest forever.

The second are trash collectors who focus on what is wrong, unfair, or not working. They focus their energy, time, and thoughts on the trash they carry in their own personal trashcan.

As stated so eloquently in the post, “The treasure hunters proudly carry their treasure into the future, while the trash collectors drag their heavy, smelly trashcan from one day to the next. The question is: When they get to the end of the year, what does each person have—a treasure chest filled with useful, positive memories, or a trash can full of things they didn’t like?”

Bottom line is that the choice is yours. What do you want your legacy to be? Treasure hunter or trash collector? You decide.

Note: for more information see the original post at http://bit.ly/12u6f4g.

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