March is National Optimism Month, a time to get rid of negative or intruding bad thoughts. According to one source on the Internet, optimism is an outlook on life that maintains the world is a positive place. “Optimism strongly correlates with high self esteem, psychological well being ... and better immune systems,” according to the source. There is much to be optimistic about in March — the first day of spring, shrubs and trees starting to blossom, summer birds returning. Sure, winter is not over yet here in the high country, but it is never too early to plan your garden.
"Optimism takes work. Being pessimistic means you are stuck in identifying the problems over and over again. Being optimistic means you have to move forward and do something about it." Beverly Beuermann-King (Handling Negative Attitudes and Difficult People workshop)
Wikipedia states that Optimism is "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best.
We tend to look at optimistic people as those with their heads 'in-the-clouds' - out of touch with reality. However, we know from research that optimistic people are not always smiling and chipper - they get mad and angry. However, they don't get stuck in their emotions and they have been found to be better at doing one thing then those with a different attitude or outlook on life. They are better at problem-solving - they move quickly from problem-identification to problem-solving. They believe that situations will work out, so they spend their time and energy on making these situations work, rather than focusing on their own emotional reactions.
The mission of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation - Los Angeles is to help underprivileged children become productive citizens by providing a long-term program of academic enhancement, mentoring, and cultural enrichment with an assured opportunity for higher education.Their primary goal is to motivate and empower children from low-income communities and under-performing schools to reach their education and career goals. They believe that every child deserves the opportunity to pursue their dreams and develop to their full potential. To achieve this overarching goal, eight objectives drive the design of their program:
· Enhance reading, writing and math capabilities so Dreamers can succeed in school and, later, in careers.
· Making learning, especially reading, a “want to” instead of a “have to”.
· Giving Dreamers the ability to understand what their own dreams might look like and the preparation to make their dreams a reality.
· Helping Dreamers develop the life skills needed to succeed in the everyday world.
· Broadening the range of educational and cultural experiences beyond Dreamers’ neighborhoods, but also showing them how to make positive contributions to their own communities.
· Preparing Dreamers to make good choices during adolescence: avoiding drugs; gangs and unplanned pregnancies.
· Creating personal bonds among Dreamers so there is a positive group affiliation and sense of community for youth who may otherwise have little stability in their lives.
· Creating trust and respect amongst Dreamers, their families and IHAD-LA, so that that they can guide Dreamers in productive directions and foster positive values.
Donation: $5
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