Your Experience IS Valid Data - Day 31 of 365 Days to a Better You
Your experience is as valid as any other data.
You have reached the last day of January and the 31st day in our journey together. Celebrate with a big hot chocolate in recognition of National Hot Chocolate Day.
According to a poll in October 2018, drinking hot chocolate was the number one fall activity elementary school students were looking forward to. That's what's known as a data point. All scientific research and statistical polls are a based on data points. They are accumulated into a statistical dataset which is analyzed to yield findings from the study.I must admit that I always chuckle a bit when someone goes to check the scientific evidence that "this positive thinking stuff" works. It's almost as if it worked for them without the data, they wouldn't believe it. Harder line skeptics won't even dip their toe in the positive thinking waters. There was even a book called "Bright-Sided" by Barbara Eisenreich a few years ago that bemoaned people wanting her to think positively during her experience with cancer.I'm not here to tell you what to believe. Please consider this, though. Have you tried having a more positive outlook, seeing the good in things, looking for the positive angle? Did you feel better? Did things seem to move in a more positive direction for you when you did? If so, then who cares about the data?Data is rarely an absolute. It's a consensus, a preponderance of the evidence based on a dataset. You are your own dataset. If it works for you, what difference does it make if it didn't for others?In case you're wondering, though, there are literally thousands of studies that have shown health and outcome benefits from positive thinking. Don't believe me? Google positive thinking research in Google News almost any day and you'll find several articles of studies that show the benefits.What's my message to you today? You don't have to believe something or not based on consensus. Your own experience is a valid dataset in its own right and the most important one for you.Besides, data has clear limits. It's terrible at measuring intangibles - the hallmarks of we human beings. The former baseball All-Star Nomar Garciaparra had it right when he said, "There's no stat yet that measures heart."Live by yours today and forget the statistics.RayHave you subscribed to my YouTube channel? I'm working to reach 1000 subscribers in 2019 and I'd greatly appreciate your support. Thanks!