The Power of Name (Part 3)

Have you ever felt like someone is just "lucky." It appears as if everything that they do is charmed. If things would go wrong for everyone else, somehow they seem to defy the odds and just thrive. If you ask someone who is charmed like that how they view life, he or she might say, "I know things will just be ok or work out for the best." It is if they will good things into existence.

There is an inherent power in names as we have mentioned with how we address ourselves and those around us. Just as important, we need to be aware of what we recognize in life. Moreover, we should be wary of naming things negatively or positively. For this discussion, we are really focusing on how we qualify things in our perception.

When you name something as positive, typically perception at least seems to manifest more positive interactions. Now, it could be placebo. There is no empirical way to test that a positive name for something or perception yields more positive events. This discussion is purely about anecdotal stories and experiences. I am sure that sometimes, no matter how positive someone names or perceives something, bad things follow. And, vice versa, I am confident in believing that while typically a negative attitude or belief may spawn more negative attitudes/beliefs; it is possible, that good things can manifest with a negative attitude or name for a situation present.

So, though our lucky individual from the first paragraph may typically have good luck, what happens on a not so "lucky" day? How does that individual handle adversity? Does he or she become discouraged or do they persevere? We have to carefully consider what a constant positive mindset or naming only things "good" may foster in the character of a person. It is possible that this "lucky" individual may be distraught with uncertainty due to never having faced this level of struggle. Coping skills that manifest from addressing things that are "negative" may have not been developed. On the other hand, the "lucky" individual may draw from previous experience and shrug off the "bad" day as an anomaly.

For the "uncharmed" who have a constant negative attitude, negative circumstances are routine and experienced often. A certain acceptance of negative events builds a level of resilience. Despite a negative expectation, those who harbor a negative outlook do often find a way to survive through experiences. In some cases, these individuals may be crushed or stopped, but many do move on past a bad moment. Yet, then one day, a "positive" moment may occur. How do they handle it? Similar to the "lucky" individual, they could be shaken by the positive event and reflect. They may change in their outlook. They may become more "positive." Or, like the "lucky" individual, they may just accept that things are different now and believe that the course of their life will autocorrect back to the established "negative" normal.

Granted, the previous two groups are extremes. Most of us live between the negative and positive edges of life. Depending on day, we may gravitate more to one direction than the other. We may even find periods where would classify our lives as "negative" or "positive." We really define our perception. It is good to note that we are really only limited in our perception by our belief.

If we say something is "good." How can that be disputed by anyone or anything else? We have a freedom to classify our feelings or view of a situation. We can name it "good" or "bad." In that power, we must exercise caution. We can effect our reality by simply qualifying the things around us. So, maybe "luck" is expectation put into will. If you think things will improve, at some point, they change and you interpret the change. Remember, you have the power to name. With the name, you define what course your life is on!

The M.A.D. Dad