Your Attitude Can Determine Your Happiness

 

In a recent article in Good Housekeeping, Michael J. Fox discussed his Parkinson’s disease and his return to television.  He is someone I have long admired and I love his insights and optimism.

While he had  tough time 20 years ago when he originally learned of his disease and turned to alcohol, his wife Tracy snapped him out of it.

When discussing how he lives his life with his family today, he describes his zero tolerance for negativity and complaining.  He tells the anecdote of the floods in Mozambique, where a woman was in labor.  To save her child’s life, she climbed a tree and had the baby in the tree.   So whenever one of his kids whines about something, he says  “A lady had a baby in a tree- whaddaya got?”

Optimism can save your life

I don’t know if Michael has always been an optimist, but it seems to have been his style for the past 20 years that he has dealt with Parkinson’s.  He probably knows this: optimists live seven years longer than pessimists, according to a study done at Yale University.  Those who viewed aging from a positive perspective live on average 7.5 years longer than those who did not.  So you can add nearly a full decade to your life by having a sunnier perspective!  Michael has added two!

Next time you’re upset, reference Michael J Fox’s “A lady had a baby in a tree- whaddaya got?”  Change perspective.  Start looking on the positive and see what a difference it makes in your life.