Jayne+A’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2016




 * Smile **

// The Case for Optimism in Our High-Strung American Society //
I want to grow old in a country where Americans are more optimistic. I want to raise my kids in a country where people choose patience and thankfulness, over irritation and anxiety.

We often get agitated very quickly. For example, you're turning into a right turn lane to get onto the freeway and then a rude driver cuts you off without warning. Or maybe your Amazon shipment is delayed a day later than it should have, and you mope for half an hour that your fancy stickers haven’t come yet. Or you find your cat’s vomit in the cranny between the couch and the bookshelf, and then you proceed to squirm in revulsion for 30 seconds.

What I want to bring to your attention is that every crappy situation that you can’t control needs some patience and perspective. And maybe some imagination too. Maybe the crazy driver that cut you off was a worried mother who worked for eight hours straight and then had to rush home to her very sick child. And maybe the Amazon folk were toiling away to get you your package and the stickers accidently fell into a puddle while being transported. So then they quickly called the sticker company and paid for new ones without telling you. What’s a day without fancy stickers anyway. And, for heavens sakes, be patient with your cat. Isn’t their love and loyalty worth more than the hairball you have to clean up?

I believe that if each individual could become more patient, we wouldn’t get riled up by the little things that people do which frustrate us. Our country would a become kinder place to live.

I have given some pretty shallow instances of impatience so far. But I would like to address some serious examples too.

I think individually we believe that if point A lines up with point B, our lives will become better, and we will have better-looking bodies and faces, better clothes, and a better relationship with our friends. For the time being, we wait anxiously for our points to line up. Waiting leads to us beating ourselves up about how fat we see ourselves, or how troll-like we think we look. And the effects are devastating. According to the Epidemiology of Eating Disorders, a book published in 2011, in the United States, “20 million women and 10 million men suffer from an eating disorder at some time in their life” (Tsuang). These disorders include binge-eating, bulimia, and anorexia. To add, in January, Yahoo Health did a survey of 1,993 people between the ages of 13 and 64 to determine how many people would identify as positive toward their bodies. Test takers were given the choice of identifying as either body positive, body neutral, or body negative. What was very startling about the results was that ninety-four percent of teen girls and ninety-five percent of women nineteen to thirty-six responded that they “have experienced [...] [disdain] when it comes to their bodies” (Pittman). The survey analysts also found that sixty-four percent of teen boys and eighty six percent of millennial men experienced similar feelings.

These statistics break my heart. American women and men are beautiful in one way or another, but they underestimate themselves. If only they could see themselves through the eyes of the people who love them.

Whether it be not having the perfect body, or purchasing better clothes, we are always going to have to face new worries that spring up. What I challenge all of you to do is learn how to become happy in the moment.

Being happy in the moment equates with becoming more thankful. The unknown wise man said it best: “The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything…. they just make the most of everything they have.” The best way to feel good about ourselves is by being thankful for others and serving them. Be thankful for your friends, families, mail carriers, neighbors, teachers, lunch ladies, your pets, your material possessions, your food, etc.

Being thankful means showing your appreciation for the individuals whom you value. It could be as simple as thanking the mail carriers after he or she delivers your mail or bringing cookies to a new neighbor across the street. That one simple act of kindness could change your whole attitude for the entire day. One simple act of kindness could also have a Domino Effect. This is where a single gesture can motivate the receiver to brighten another person’s day. This cycle of kindness can continue on through the day because kindness is contagious. You really never know how much your community will be impacted by one goodwill gesture on your part.

I believe that if the people within our country became more appreciative for the things they have, they would spend less time dwelling on what was wrong with their lives. Our nation would spend money wiser, and be more frugal with it. Also, Americans would be consuming their food more consciously, and we would produce far less trash. We would also put more value on our relationships and they would be greatly improved.

If we could harness our inner thankfulness and patience, America would be a more valuable place to live. We would be a peaceful and giving nation, and it would benefit us economically, environmentally, and socially.

So, be patient, be thankful, oh yeah, and smile regularly. One optimistic individual can help make our community and our country a happier place to live.


 * Sources **

Pittman, Taylor. "Men Are Twice as Likely To Love Their Bodies as Women." Huffington Post, 04 Jan. 2016. Web. 26 May 2016.

Tsuang, Ming T., Mauricio Tohen, and Peter B. Jones. Textbook of Psychiatric Epidemiology. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.