These three know a lot about the Power of Positivity. (Source: Wikipedia.)
Let’s talk about positivity.
The closing moments of 2015, for the most part, weren’t great for me. Unfortunately, I responded to these events by being a perpetually sullen brat.
What good did that do me? Absolutely zilch. Anything that could go wrong, did, and it only made me increasingly bitter.
It was a vicious cycle. I was reacting to negative events with a negative approach, which only fueled more negativity, both from myself and the universe.
Then…I snapped out of it.
Maybe it was the tabula rasa that comes with a new year, or the messages of love and support I received on my birthday that inspired me. Whatever the case, I finally took a step back and came to this realization:
The best way to counter negativity is with positivity, not with more negativity.
Well, duh, you may think. It’s so simple, yet it’s something I — and many others — tend to overlook when things aren’t going so smoothly. Negativity is intense, and has an incredible ability to drag us right down. It happens to all of us at some point.
Negativity is strong, but our minds are even stronger.
So things weren’t going so peachy for me. It bummed me out. Being mopey wasn’t making my life any better, so I tried an alternative: being positive and focusing on the good.
The changes weren’t immediate, but slowly, the vibes around me started to improve. I was reveling in even the smallest of victories. It was refreshing to not feel stuck to the ground, but rather, be light on my feet. Soon, the few negative events I did encounter bounced right off of me, while I was experiencing a surge in positive happenings.
As Sophia Amoruso says in her book #Girlboss, “Focus on the positive things in your life and you’ll be shocked at how many more positive things start happening.” This may seem trite, but it’s absolutely true. (“Trite-and-true”?) I doubt it’s a coincidence that once I ditched the woe-is-me attitude I’ve opened myself up to more enriching opportunities.
I had a teacher in grade school who used to preach GIGO — “Garbage in, garbage out.” While she originally related that acronym to our schoolwork (turn in crap and you’ll get a crappy grade), she also explained that GIGO applies to life at large. If the thoughts you breed are heavily influenced by negativity, don’t be expecting something good to boomerang back.
Yes, life is a series of ups-and-downs. I’m not suggesting that you completely ignore the down moments. They’ve happened. They’re going to happen. You’re going to react to them and that’s completely normal. Just don’t let them keep you down. There are plenty of great things awaiting you, but you need to make yourself available to them.
Humans are resilient. Even you. You may be reading this and thinking it’s a load of caca, but just remember:
Trust me. It does, and it will, as long as you try. For what it’s worth, I’m rooting for you.
The Monday Question
How do you keep going through tough times? Share your stories in the comments.
Til next Monday!
The Monday Diaries 
Fun fact: During one particularly frustrating day at work, I wrote “Feel the power of positivity” on the white board in our office. It’s been there for a few months and even now when I’m stressed or things aren’t falling into place they way I’d like, I just look up see that message. It might sound crazy to some people, but it actually sort of helps!
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That’s a good idea – it’s something to help bring you back to center. 🙂
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Nice article, I’m going through similar things this year. But I’ve come to the conclusion that this next year is going to be the best and worst year of my life. And I love the Bojack line. That show really reaches out, grabs you by shoulders and shakes you around a bit.
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Thank you so much. Whenever I need a motivational boost, I look to BoJack. It’s a tremendous show that has taught me many lessons. I hope you’re able to preserve through the worst and celebrate the best.
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