CULTIVATE CHEERY PEOPLE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22778, 14 January 1936, Page 17

CULTIVATE CHEERY PEOPLE

Have you ever .noticed what a stimulating effect certain people have on you, while others leave you feeling rather limp and depressed? I know one woman, in particular, whose conversation always has the effect of making one very sad with life —-her whole attitude is a sort of “ what’s-the-good-of-any thing ” outlook, and she leaves one with a feeling of frustration and futility. There are other people—and let us be thankful for them —who are so stimulating, so bracing, that they make you feel pleased with life, and, which is' even more important, they make you feel pleased with yourself. I don’t mean to say that they flatter you in an insincere way—no, they never flatter but, because they are believers in all the good things of life, they give you faith in your ability to forge ahead and do better things. They never make you teel pleased with yourself in a smug sort of way, but rather with your ability to go forward to greater achievements. They say_ to you, without actually putting it into words: “ I know you can do better and better.” There are, of course, unavoidable circumstances in life which hold people down and cramp their noblest efforts. You may talk over these difficulties with some people and feel that they are insurmountable; but talk of them to other people and your very troubles will be stimulating—they are a challenge, something to spur you on to fight and conquer. So choose your confidants carefully—don’t tell your innermost secrets to all and sundry. Some people will merely say: “My dear, how awful! lam sorry for you.” Others will say: "Fancy your being able to tackle all that I How splendid of you.” You see while some people make you feel an abject of pity, otherp give you a feeling almost of heroism!

Have you ever noticed how in the presence of some people you feel awkward and tongue-tied, while with others you seem to find just the right word to say and are completely happy and at ease? Well, weed out your little bunch of friends and acquaintances and don’t waste time on people in whose presence you are always at your worst. The friends who stimulate your wit and your imagination are kindred souls and they are always well worth cultivating. I always think that one of the most precious things about our parents is the fact that they believe in us and are tremendously proud of our little achievements. If there is any one thing in life that should keep a man or a woman straight, it is the desire not to let one’s parents down —not to shatter their belief in their child. The love of parents is, in itself, a stimulous —you surely want to succeed in order to justify their belief in you! If you have a friend, a sweetheart, a dear relative or a husband who believes in you, that in itself is a mental and spiritual tonic for which you may be very thankful, and it will act as a continual encouragement to you in all your daily efforts, whether you are at work or play. —An English magazine.