I Suck. So Do You.
Imagine this scenario: You have been doing pretty badly in your exams for the past few semesters and now, it seems that the finale is not going to be any different. You have tried several ways of studying and those learning styles do not seem to suit you well. Now, as the final exam for the very last semester you are taking is a few months away, you panicked. And as you begin to calm yourself, you probably thought that you should tell yourself that you can do it this time. Can you? The answer is obvious. No.
Why? some may even ask, “What is wrong with positive thinking?”
The question is not whether positive thinking is wrong, but rather, if do you think you suck.
Many people don’t think that they suck and that’s the problem. They think perhaps by telling themselves as well as rehearsing profusely, those statements of ’self-encouragement’ and ‘optimism’, in their minds would miraculously turn the tide of their suffering. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut to success, and positive thinking is an abominable candidate. Recent studies (just last month) have showed that positive thinking not only do nothing to one’s current circumstance, but also makes that optimist feel worse about himself/herself or his/her performance. However, if you think that being optimistic helps, well, it does when you have discovered a strategy in coping with your current circumstance.
Many people I have talked to, and many others whom I have heard over the media have used positive self-compliments to boost their perception of their current situation. As such, I hear words like, “I can do it,” “You can do it,” “I am good and courageous enough,” “We are strong to overcome this,” “I am the head and not the tail,” “I have been called the salt and the light of the world so don’t worry, me, I will brave through the storm and God help me,” and many other extreme forms of optimism. YES! You have tried to regulate your emotions by calming yourself with these nice words, but are your emotions more important than your rationality? Have you lost your mind trying to defend your heart?
When you address your specific problem by telling good things to yourself, you are not tackling your problem but avoiding it with optimism (or should I say, living in self-denial?). Instead of saying positive things to yourself and healing those wounds on your heart, perhaps, it is about time that you should use your mind as well. Have you realised that you actually suck? By accepting that you have certain flaws which most probably led you to your current shitty circumstance makes more sense than to just brush these critical thoughts aside. By accepting your weaknesses is the first step to solving the mystery of why you are still trapped in your current shithole.
To be logical and frank, everyone including me, would think highly of themselves unless you have some esteem issues. How is that so? Well, everybody naturally thinks they’re right and never wrong, regardless the circumstance. We tend to blame the “other” for something that goes wrong and tell ourselves that it is alright, we don’t have to worry, we will get over it, we are strong enough, we will win, we will this, we will that… sounds familiar? Of course, this is the long whinnning road to hell and poor self-esteem. Try reflecting on your mistakes and accepting your flaws. By doing this, I guess, it would help us all search, individually, for a suitable method to tackle our problems.
