Before I reveal the most powerful question you can ever ask yourself. Let me give you a hint. Click play on the top video and read the below lyrics to the legendary Monty Python song, "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life":
Lyrics
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
And
Always look on the bright side of life (Come on)
Always look on the right side of life
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
So always look on the bright side of death
A just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughin' as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
And
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the right side of life
(C'mon Brian, cheer up)
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
I mean, what have you got to lose?
You know, you come from nothing
You're going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing
Always look on the right side of life
Nothing will come from nothing, ya know what they say
Cheer up ya old bugga c'mon give us a grin (Always look on the right side of life)
There ya are, see
It's the end of the film
Incidentally this record's available in the foyer (Always look on the right side of life)
Some of us got to live as well, you know
(Always look on the right side of life)
Who do you think pays for all this rubbish
(Always look on the right side of life)
They're not gonna make their money back, you know
I told them, I said to him, Bernie, I said they'll never make their money back
(Always look on the right side of life)
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Eric Idle
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the light side of life
If life seems jolly rotten
There's something you've forgotten
And that's to laugh and smile and dance and sing
When you're feeling in the dumps
Don't be silly chumps
Just purse your lips and whistle, that's the thing
And
Always look on the bright side of life (Come on)
Always look on the right side of life
For life is quite absurd
And death's the final word
You must always face the curtain with a bow
Forget about your sin
Give the audience a grin
Enjoy it, it's your last chance anyhow
So always look on the bright side of death
A just before you draw your terminal breath
Life's a piece of shit
When you look at it
Life's a laugh and death's a joke, it's true
You'll see it's all a show
Keep 'em laughin' as you go
Just remember that the last laugh is on you
And
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the right side of life
(C'mon Brian, cheer up)
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
Always look on the bright side of life
I mean, what have you got to lose?
You know, you come from nothing
You're going back to nothing
What have you lost? Nothing
Always look on the right side of life
Nothing will come from nothing, ya know what they say
Cheer up ya old bugga c'mon give us a grin (Always look on the right side of life)
There ya are, see
It's the end of the film
Incidentally this record's available in the foyer (Always look on the right side of life)
Some of us got to live as well, you know
(Always look on the right side of life)
Who do you think pays for all this rubbish
(Always look on the right side of life)
They're not gonna make their money back, you know
I told them, I said to him, Bernie, I said they'll never make their money back
(Always look on the right side of life)
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Eric Idle
Always Look on the Bright Side of Life lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Have you guessed the question yet? No?
Okay. Let me start by making this real. Right now we are all individually facing tough times. For those of you reading this in the future, I am writing this in October 2022. In the UK we are really in the worst situation of my life and I do not say that lightly. Our political system is in disarray. The pound is the lowest it has ever been against the dollar. The country is in debt which will never be paid back in my lifetime. Public services are in the worst condition they have ever been in. The stock market is 50% or more below where it was a year or so ago. There are not enough doctors or nurses to treat those who need clinical help, with a 7 million back log of patients waiting to be treated. And I literally could go on and on and on...
And I will. You also have the Ukrainian war where innocent civilians are being killed. You have Russian soldiers being forced to fight, be honest, it is hard to say no to a country that will lock you up or shoot you for saying no. Plus the Russian people are suffering by their leader's decisions. And no matter which country you live in, the rich and power hungry are in power and the general public are being suffocated by their taxes and everything else that can be thrown at them.
Knowing and accepting the Yin and Yang of life will release your mind from overthinking and depression.
Most importantly, by understanding that negative things will also generate positive things, you will find the holy grail of how to deal with life and come out stronger and better.
Therefore, the most powerful question you can ever ask yourself is:
WHAT POSITIVE THINGS CAN I TAKE FROM THE NEGATIVE THINGS I AM FOCUSING ON?
WHAT POSITIVE THINGS CAN I TAKE FROM THE NEGATIVE THINGS I AM FOCUSING ON?
Take a few minutes to soak this up. This is not cheap shot blog post to increase web traffic to this page. This really is the most powerful question you can ever ask yourself. Please do not groan and think to yourself you already know this and move on. I want you to take the next few minutes to truly "understand" this.
Let me give you an example. Going back to how tough life has been for some of the UK readers lately I want to mention the last week in politics and how this question can change your frame of mind and how you feel about a bad situation.
Although, first, let me just say this. Personally, I have found the last few years very challenging. There is a myth that writing a self improvement blog means I am 100% happy all of the time. This is not true. If any other self help guru tells you they are always happy then they are a lier. Self improvement is about understanding how to take the tough things that come your way and turn them around to improve your inner thinking and feeling and your outer physical needs and aspirations.
Last week when I heard that the UK's latest prime minister had sacked her chancellor and u-turned on all of her recent speeches in her election campaign to lower taxes, it just made me feel sick to the core. In the UK we have had to deal with Brexit for years, literally years of people's lives they won't get back. Then the COVID pandemic hit causing more financial pain for the public. Then the energy crisis. And in my opinion the pain the UK public are suffering was all avoidable had the elected government taken proper care of our economy and essential services.
Last week's mayhem was the last straw that broke my back. The final straw being that, when you think things cannot get any worse, they do. Liz Truss appointed Jeremy Hunt as the new Chancellor. A man who destroyed the National Health Service when he was the Health Secretary. He has no financial management experience at this level. I simply do not understand how the prime minister is allowed to put people into key roles without any experience.... as you can see I am really wound up and fed up.... but (deep breath) I then (due to my self improvement knowledge) am able to stop myself from getting too stressed by asking myself the question.
Last week's mayhem was the last straw that broke my back. The final straw being that, when you think things cannot get any worse, they do. Liz Truss appointed Jeremy Hunt as the new Chancellor. A man who destroyed the National Health Service when he was the Health Secretary. He has no financial management experience at this level. I simply do not understand how the prime minister is allowed to put people into key roles without any experience.... as you can see I am really wound up and fed up.... but (deep breath) I then (due to my self improvement knowledge) am able to stop myself from getting too stressed by asking myself the question.
What positive angles can I get out of the current UK political situation?
1. This is a win win situation. If Jeremy Hunt proves to be terrible in his chancellor role then it means something better will come along, because it simply has to. To me that means something good is coming, I may just have to wait longer to see it.
2. If Jeremy Hunt proves to be fantastic in his new role as chancellor then the UK will get back on its feet and that would be a good thing too.
As well as breaking down a negative situation (from your perspective, others may think it is a positive for them) you can start to list out what steps can you take to make the most of the situation. For example, in the current world stock market turmoil, where stocks are half the price they were a year or so ago, you can perhaps come up with a plan to start investing a small amount per month. As you would do with your pension. The idea being, in the long term those share prices will go back to what they were and increase even more. So all of the pain you are experiencing now with your finances will be reversed. This is the yin and yang of financial investment.
I realise my examples may not be the best. Hopefully you "get" the point. By asking yourself the most powerful question in the world you will always be able to force your brain to think in a more positive way. It will change how you feel about a situation and improve your life.
Feel free to add your own examples in the comments below. Perhaps you have experienced a painful divorce but ended up with a positive outcome by looking at it differently.
Most of all, always remember to look on the bright side of life.
Take care today.
Author: Christian Jacques Bennett*
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Search Terms: Positive thinking, Think, Mindset, Positivity, Positive Vibes, Positive Energy, Self Help, Self Improvement, Improve, Wellbeing, Achieve, Life Tips, Monty Python, Cost of Living Crisis.
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