Gloom’s sunglasses are so dark that they’re hard to see out of.

A sense of foreboding can corral one in gloom.

Gloom would do best to explore the grass that surrounds it and find out, first hand, that it truly is greener.

Gloom is a self perpetuating mindset that has been cultivated over the years and its crop always produces new blooms of gloom.

Gloom shares the same environment used to grow many mushrooms - dark.

How often does foreboding have you prejudge a situation before exploring it? That may be helpful if you’re about to row across a river filled with crocodiles, but in most other cases it’s counter-productive and keeps you from leaving your corner.

That means: If you don’t explore you remain a spore.

Gloomy people are envious of the sunshine that others have and tend not to figure out the secret of how to get it. The secret is: You have to make room for more than gloom.

That means to entertain more than the dark side. A helpful question for “Gloomy Gus and Gloria” would start with “What if?”

What if I don’t prejudge a situation and just go see what I find?

It reminds me of the old story where a stranger pulls up to a farmer and says he’s considering moving to the area and asks the farmer what kind of people live there. The farmer asks a question in return. “What are the people like where you’re from? The man says they are mean spirited, conniving people out to get you. The farmer says, “Well, that’s just the kind of people you’ll find here.

Another person pulls up and asks the farmer the same question. The farmer replies back with the same question: “What are the people like where you’re from?” This person says, “They are neighborly and caring and are quick to offer a helping hand.” The farmer says, “Well, that’s just the kind of people you’ll find here.”

Gloom is a self fulfilling prophecy.

“What if” opens you up to new real estate. “What if” I entertain the notion that I can create my own experience rather than rely on the prefabricated one I always bring with me?

This is no guarantee that you’ll like all the new experiences you create for yourself, but it does open you up to choice - one that proves you can choose more than gloom.

Gloom and doom would do well to take day trips where it’s sunnier. Your odds for finding that sunshine increase when you adopt the antidote for gloom - “What if.”

 

All the best,

John