Be Positive

Really great advice. It’s important to be positive. I used to be a critical negative thinker for many years, without even realizing how bad I was. Complaining solves nothing and it makes people want to avoid you. It’s much better to figure out how to solve your problems and not complain about them. This guy is exactly right. If you live properly, good things will come your way. 

Randy Pausch was a really brave man, indeed.  I envy him a *lot*.

As a creative person working on a personal comic-book project, I had long been a victim of critical thinking.  Some of it was actual constructive criticism, though, and it helped me to improve myself (former DC Comics editor Bob Greenberger, for example, gave me some great advice and resources, and even Amritas’ own criticisms were of *great* help to me).  But others were negative criticisms of personal taste, most of which I stay away from.  (I’m not going to name names.) Even my teacher Mr. John Haverkamp said, “There’s a difference between constructive criticism, and criticism of personal taste.”

Learning from my experience, I normally take an “if you don’t have anything nice to say” position on things I don’t like.  (Except for the current mainstream comics industry; I’ve had a LOT of bad things to say about it.) But if I had any critical thinking at all, then I’d want to be helpful, not condescending.  I’d want to be constructive, because this way, it’ll help a new generation to improve.  There are too many experts who act like self-indulgent elitist jerks, which tends to chase away a new generation.  I don’t want to be like that.

Posted by John Cassidy  on  03/03  at  07:32 AM

I don’t think I was bad, but I used to freely offer my negative opinion of things when I didn’t have to. I was always verbally trashing things I didn’t like. It’s not necessary 99% of the time.

Constructive criticism, when asked for, is an entirely different matter than what we’re talking about.

The bottom line is, I think its important to focus on the positive rather than the negative in life. It makes a big difference. For one thing, it keeps you from being depressed all the time.

Posted by  on  03/03  at  08:44 AM

It sure does.  I used to be depressed a lot, until I truly realized the things I had to be thankful for, and the things I *could* (and still can) do.  Depression holds you back.  I should know; I’ve struggled with it!  When I look at others, I realize I can do greater things (or things that I love to do), if I keep a cool head on my shoulders.

Posted by John Cassidy  on  03/03  at  09:15 AM

One thing I learned, which took me a while because I didn’t realize I was doing it to myself, is not to wonder why things aren’t the way you want them to be. Instead, think of ways to improve your situation. What are you doing wrong? How to fix those problems.

When you look at a problem as a puzzle to be solved, instead of “why me?”, it makes a huge difference.

Posted by  on  03/03  at  09:21 AM
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