Floaters and Sinkers

Is a zebra white with black stripes or black with white stripes?

Are you an optimistic person who is sometimes down or a pessimistic person who is sometimes happy?

I have a theory that we each have different emotional set points where we naturally gravitate to. For some people, life throws them a difficulty, but they will always float back up to a level of optimism. Ya just can’t keep ‘em down.

For others, life throws them some incredibly good things, but they will always sink back down to a level of ho-humness, blah, or outright depression. Ya can’t force ‘em to be happy.

Personality has a ton to do with this, but I don’t think our emotional set points are immovable, though they tend to harden the longer we live by them. I really do think people can choose to be happy, no matter what’s going on in their lives.

So which are you? A happy person who is sometimes sad, or a sad person who is sometimes happy?

I’m right about in the middle. I’ve never been a person to get overly happy or overly sad. Mostly, I just ride life out as it comes. Forced to choose, though, I’m probably a little more of a sinker than a floater. I'm pretty content with things, but so much of the wrongs in the world tend to weigh me down.

I’m doing better at choosing to be happy, in spite of some hard circumstances. Hope you’re choosing joy today too.