What’s Wrong with Rose Colored Glasses?

I have written quite a few posts reflecting on the power of a positive attitude. In my post, Change Your Body by Changing Your Perspective, I quote Dr. Wayne Dyer from his book, The Power of Intention where he says the following:

Change the way you look at things, and the things you look at will change.

I believe strongly in this idea.

On the other hand, I also wrote a post, Being an Optimistic Realist, where I discuss the importance of facing reality for what it is and avoiding wasting time and energy on pursuits that are clearly unrealistic.

So Which is it?

Should we go through life with rose colored glasses or not? I say, yes! I believe that we can have our rose colored glasses and eat them, too… I mean… have reality, too.

5 Ways to Have Our Rose Colored Glasses and Reality, Too

1. Keep our eyes open for friendly encounters. Look for ways to help others and look for kindness in others behaviors. We miss these when we have a poor attitude, and therefore, develop a negative view of reality. When we look for and expect to see kindness, we will see it all the time.
2. Avoid focusing on people and scenarios that bring us down. Negativity can be contagious and self-perpetuating. It drains us of energy we need to make positive changes. Sometimes it feels easy and comfortable to sit and stew in negativity. It’s a luxury that is quite costly to our spirit. The sooner we can turn around, the easier and less damaging it will be.
3. Take action toward our desires and expect that they will come true. This expectation will bring us the motivation and persistence needed to accomplish our goals. If we don’t believe our dreams can come true, we’re much less likely to make a strong, focused effort.
4. Meditate on our intention to realize our desires. Meditating on an intention builds faith, aligns our will with God’s and brings guidance and energy to lead us in the direction of our desires.
5. Maintain an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude keeps us focused on what is good in our lives right now and builds momentum for multiplication of those things. It may seem cliché, but it is hard to overestimate the power of gratitude.