“I believe in taking a positive attitude toward the world, toward people, toward my work,” said Henson.
An eternal optimist, Henson took a uniquely spiritual approach to his work. He believed that he was put on earth to achieve something that would contribute back to others; as long as he tried to create a positive message through his work, the results would be positive in return. “I believe that we form our own lives, that we create our own reality, and that everything works out for the best,” he said. “I know I drive some people crazy with what seems to be ridiculous optimism, but it has always worked out for me.”
It was this optimism that allowed Henson to succeed even in the face of rejection and doubt. Despite the often-negative response that Henson got to his ideas, he looked upon everything as a learning experience and a growth opportunity. “I think this is why we're here – to work our way through all this, and, hopefully, come out a bit wiser and better for having gone through it all,” he said. “I believe that life is basically a process of growth – that we go through many lives, choosing those situations and problems that we will learn through.”
As Henson admits, during his early years, “there wasn’t much money in television in those days anyhow.” Thus, he had an even greater need to keep upbeat about his prospects and it was largely his active imagination that helped him do so. His life was in his own hands and so he could make of it what he wanted to. “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending,” Henson once said. “Keep believing, keep pretending.”
Part of always maintaining a positive attitude for Henson meant devoting himself to depicting a positive vision and message through his work. “We can portray an attitude that points us in a good direction,” he said. “A direction that’s responsible to us, to the planet, to children, and our culture.” Henson believed in the power of television and film to be an influence for the good, shaping the thoughts of both children and adults in a positive way. “If our 'message' is anything, it's a positive approach to life,” he said. “That life is basically good. People are basically good.”
Henson recognized that there would always be a certain amount of negativity and suffering not only in his own life, but also throughout the world. However, he saw little point in wasting his energy focusing on that. Instead, he directed his energy towards more constructive efforts. “At some point in my life I decided, rightly or wrongly, that there are many situations in this life that I can't do much about – acts of terrorism, feelings of nationalistic prejudice, cold war, etc. – so what I should do is concentrate on the situations that my energy can affect,” he said.
However hard it is for people to gain perspective of their situations, Henson reminds them, “It's a good life, enjoy it.”
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