Oh, My, What Pretty Fingernails You Have!

Life is the power of positive thinking I don’t care what anybody says. Call it ‘optimism’ or ‘faith’ or ‘confidence’ or anything else; it just simply works from the inside out. What becomes of a person in this continual mindset is a wonderful, miraculous, full-of-growth-and-potential work of art—a human specimen to behold.

As I picked up my daughters from school recently I noticed my youngest a little dejected as she sat on the back seat, more withdrawn than she normally is.

When I enquired of her to check what her body language was telling me she affirmed that she’d had trouble with some of the boys picking on her. Her emotional state was impacting her mentally and physically and her confidence was down.

I mused to myself how I might help lift her spirits. Then, suddenly, we got onto the subject of fingernails—my nails to be exact. My daughter quipped that she wished she could grow her chewed nails (expressing more negative, defeated body language).

I asked, ‘Darling, show me your best nail,’ to which she complied. It was a thumb nail with appreciable potential. ‘That’s a lovely fingernail,’ I said. The ‘second best’ finger nail was then suddenly volunteered, and then the third required very little eliciting. Together we found four of the ten nails she was actually proud of (in comparison with an over-emphasis on the worst ones).

Then I told her to focus on those four good nails and forget about the not-so-good nails. I said that a funny thing would happen. I said she’d stop thinking about chewing those other nails.

Later that same day, as I was planning to limit myself to four pieces of my wife’s loveliest homemade pizza, I remembered the technique. Instead of thinking, ‘I’m only allowed half the normal amount,’ I thought, ‘I’m going to really enjoy and savour these four pieces of Portuguese chicken pizza.’

Positive thinking is the power behind our lives. If we truly care, positive thinking is the issue behind loving ourselves and others appropriately.

The glass can be both half full and half empty. But, why would we sanely allow ourselves pessimism when optimism is such a more attractive choice?

There is power for building people up in being positive.

© S. J. Wickham, 2009.