I read an article in The Spectator last week that pointed out something very uncomfortable for a lot of people.
The world is getting better at an ever increasing rate.
The piece mentioned a whole list of problems such as poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, child labour and infant mortality that are diminishing fast. By almost any measure this is a golden age.
But nobody believes it!
Even amongst traditionally optimistic US citizens, only 6% believe that the world is improving.To quote the article:
"If you think that there has never been a better time to be alive — that humanity has never been safer, healthier, more prosperous or less unequal — then you’re in the minority. But that is what the evidence incontrovertibly shows".
We seem to prefer pessimism to reality.
Keeping a positive outlook is hard, but there are big rewards when tough times arrive.
Take back pain for example.If you suffer from a negative mindset, you will never start treatment. And even if you do, you will bail out after the slightest setback.
The first step to resolving persistent pain is knowing that you can improve. You must have faith that there is a road back to pain-free. I'm not saying that pain is all in the mind. However, physical recovery depends on action. And how you view the world controls how you act.
So dump your doom delusions and believe in your recovery!
That way you will take the action necessary to make it happen.