Look on the Bright Side

Photo by Bruce Turner

The oldest advice in the book, and one I'm repeating today mainly because I need to remind myself of it.
I thought I was done teaching university students English here in China, turns out I'm not. Our boss had assured us we would only get two or three classes, but has set us up with a full schedule after all due to a teacher shortage.
So, not really what we were expecting or hoping.

That means it's time to take out those pink goggles and see the world in a whole new light: A bright light.
Teaching more classes means getting paid, keeping busy and active, meeting other foreigners on a more regular basis, etc. There's lots of good aspects too.

Just found out some bad news? Maybe you have to perform a task that you don't feel up to, or you need to meet with someone you really don't like. Maybe you just found out that an event that you'd been looking forward to, fell through. 
Take a few moments and try to spin the situation in the most positive light possible. 
Don't worry if it doesn't feel quite right yet. It takes a while for all those negative emotions to fade away. Try to regularly think of this task/event/change of plans in that positive light. Accept that there is nothing you can do to change it. Envision the positive results you will get once it's finished. 

Unpleasant tasks can come with great rewards, especially if they're challenging. Plans that fell through open up space to create new plans or take some you-time, and they can help you save money (if the plan was going to a show, for example.)

As you can tell, thinking positive is not easy. But it doesn't take a lot of initial effort, it just takes persistence. Write down some silver linings on pieces of paper and hide them where you know you'll find them (on the fridge, in your wallet, under your pillow).
We can't always control the way our lives unfold, but we can control the way we look at it.