I've said before, I am tired of all of the "things positive people do" lists that people post on Facebook, or the "things mentally tough people avoid", I have made my own list. We are all human beings (unless this blog is being read by a dog, in which place please contact me because you're a reading dog and that's friggin' awesome), and being of the same species we have the capability for some amazing qualities. We also have some very negative qualities and things I refer to as "design flaws", which is OK. We are not wired the same way. So for all of you whom have bruises on your backs from patting yourself too much, here's my list...
1. Empathy
Anyone who knows me knows I have referred to empathy a number of times. I think that empathy is one of the most underrated, beautiful traits that we can posses. In the news lately are a number of saddening stories regarding depression and how it can affect people. Rather than actually trying to understand how deep these individuals have sunk and how awful a fight this affliction can be on a daily basis, people have rushed to call these individuals "mentally weak". Empathy doesn't mean you accept everyone's mindset, even if it is wrong. It means trying to actually put yourself in someone else's situation emotionally. It is not a weakness to possess this trait, it is a strength. We are social animals, not solitary.
2. Imagination
Very underrated, and sometimes beaten out of us emotionally and spiritually at a young age, imagination is largely a human trait. I'm not talking only about having an imaginary friend, or playing with your lego's or stuffed animals (I had Willy...he was a walrus...I loved him), rather the ability to think uniquely. Too often we just follow what others have told us, or what we have been taught. What if Dick Fosbury hadn't tried jumping over a bar backwards? Or Parry O'Brien hadn't put his back toward the sector in shot put? Let's try a quote from my man-crush to exemplify my point...“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”-Bruce Lee
3. Beauty
I am NOT referring to appearance! I add an exclamation mark because beauty and variations thereof are used by me very commonly, and also commonly people assume I am talking about appearance. Here are the definitions of the word...
1. a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.
2. a beautiful or pleasing thing or person, in particular.
This quality I won't go into detail with, simply because it should be something each person can appreciate and see on their own. I would add more to the definition, however, and state that something does not need to be tangible in order to be beautiful since the qualities listed in the first definition are all tangible.
4. Humor
This quality is what I believe really does separate us from the rest of the animal kingdom. While I think other animals can be humored, and entertained I believe true humor is uniquely a human trait. Humor isn't only being funny, telling knock knock jokes, being the class clown...actually think about it...class clown's were never really that funny. They were usually trouble-makers that got laughs based on being rude...but I digress. Actually let me use another quote regarding humor..."Humor is mankind's greatest blessing"-Mark Twain....and how about "You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it"-Bill Cosby
5. Self-Awareness
I don't mean cogito ergo sum...if you don't know what that means google it. I mean knowing what type of person you are, flaws, strengths, etc and admitting to them. I closed with this trait because I believe it is why so many people post on their walls those lists I referred to earlier. Those lists contain qualities that people wished they possessed. Realize that you are flawed, and unique and that there is no way that ever lifeform on this planet can behave, think, and react the same way to their environment, lives, and stressors. To me, this point is the most aggrivating point about those lists. It may be easy for some to take hardship, life devasting situations, depression, stress. While others may be affected a completely different way. Part of this may be due to their lives as a whole and things that happened to them specifically, or it could just be how they are wired chemically, and emotionally. Either way, how dare anyone judge them for not having qualities that there may be no way for them to possess. Every human being is unique, so treat them that way. If the hole is round don't try to jam a square peg through it.
Ok that's it, there's my list. Basically if you possess these qualities, I doubt you're the type of person I am referring to that posts lists on social media. If you are insulted by this blog post...then I'm guess you have at some point posted a list like that on social media. My advice? Practice number 4 and laugh about it :)
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