Barbara Ehrenreich (who wrote “Nickle and Dimed”, a book I loved) wrote another one- called “Bright-Sided”.  In it, she mocks the silliness of our overly optimistic culture.  Sometimes cancer is just bad, grief really is just grief, and so on.  Ms. Ehrenreich insists that putting a positive spin on everything doesn’t let people feel okay about feeling bad.

I agree with her- to some extent.  Overly optimisitic can be harmful by not allowing space for grief and sadness.  However, I do think there is a place for trying to figure out how our challenging experiences can teach us something.  That’s all.  It doesn’t mean we try to turn bad into good and pretend bad experiences don’t happen- it just means that sometimes important life lessons are found in trying times.

And something good to remember today, if you are feeling down about money, is that there are always new ways to think about, create, and make money. This is one area where I KNOW turning challenging times into opportunities for learning is not only essential, it’s a key to real happiness!