PEP out of Positivity

At first, I was going to whine a bit about feeling depleted of passion, energy, and persistence (PEP) lately…but then I heard two uplifting talks today that changed my focus.

This morning Joel Osteen talked about negativity drawing negativity. If you think of yourself as old, you will feel old. If you tell yourself that you did something stupid, you will feel stupid. If you think of yourself as poor, you will see the absence of the things you miss. If you feel that you are being taken advantage of, you’ll miss the good things, because all you will be able to see is the bad.

Similarly, today’s sermon at church was about grace. It was pointed out that when we are stressed, or annoyed, or impatient, life isn’t always rosy. But if we ask for grace to get us through the work day, the tolerance to be kind to an annoying person, or if we take time to think of somebody else’s needs before our own, we often come out of a situation far more satisfied, and maybe even a little happier.

Then my thoughts turned to prisoners. The angry ones do seem to see only the negative around them. Those who’ve accepted their fate have gotten past the anger and are trying to make the best of their lives. I have met some prisoners who take each day one day at a time. They appear to be much happier than their counterparts who are angry. They even seem to go out of their way to look for good things to do!

So, my thought for the week has evolved to this:  how can I whine about not having enough PEP, when I have been blessed beyond measure? I need to step out of my pity party and get involved doing something for somebody else. What comes back when I give of myself reinvigorates that lagging passion and energy, and helps me want to keep at it, doing more of the same.