Think Positive

Think Positive

While speaking my thoughts can be a very powerful tool in developing meaningful relationships with those around me, it could also prove to be very detrimental, based on what my thoughts revolve around. With that reasoning, I feel comfortable making the assertion that before I master speaking my thoughts, I need to master positive thinking..

I believe that the difference between generally happy people and generally unhappy people has nothing to do with circumstance and everything to do with 1 decision: The decision to see the good. It is always there. There may be plenty of bad surrounding it and trying to hide it but the good is always there. When I think about the last time I was notably happy, my happiness came as a result of the thoughts that came to my mind after a positive event that occurred in my life. Based on the decisions I had previously made on what is important to me, those thoughts were significant enough to change my emotional state. Every human being comes across good things multiple times every day, and I have the power to choose whether or not these events are significant enough to make my heart smile. All I have to do is let life make me happy!

While seeing the good may seem simple, I struggle with it at times, just like everybody else. Why? I make a choice to complicate things. I instill in myself a guilt that stops me from being happy. When confronting situations that appear to lean towards the “sad” end of the spectrum, I might tell myself, “This is an inappropriate time to be happy.” Happiness is never inappropriate. In fact, the situations I speak of are often the times in which a smile can have the greatest impact! Laughter is the best medicine. When do I need medicine?...When I am not well!

Once I have let the good into my mind, I need to let it out of my mouth. A few weeks ago, I was at the store, and a person I had never met told me she liked my shirt! This to me is a simple, perfect example of 2 things: 1 - Looking for the positive, and 2 - Speaking your thoughts. After basking in the glory of my shirt, I asked myself how often I had noticed something positive in a complete stranger and complimented them for it. Why? More appropriately, why not? Personally, my lack of complimenting strangers came first from not making an effort to notice the good in the world around me, and second from the FEAR of being judged. When I let fear take hold, optimism is no longer possible. Questions inspired by fear, such as “What will they think?”, have the potential to obliterate honest communication. But when I turn that question around on myself and ask, “What would I think?”, it is clear that I can be confident in a positive reaction to my compliment. When a complete stranger walks up to me and says something kind, I enjoy the compliment and think very highly of that person. I immediately assume them to be a kind, confident person.

Worrying about the reactions of those around me is a silly thing to do. I might create assumptions in my mind, assuming the worst case scenario and reverting to a negative thought process. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the odds of that worst case scenario actually occurring are next to nothing. However, I use my worst case assumption as an excuse not to leave my comfort zone. When I do this, I miss opportunities to have a lasting, positive influence on the people around me.

Every time I let fear demotivate me, it is because I am being governed by negative thoughts. Negative thoughts weigh me down more than any physical limitation ever could. They will plainly reflect in everything I say, and everything I do, or everything I don’t do as the case may be.

CHALLENGE - LOOK FOR ADMIRABLE ATTRIBUTES IN THE PEOPLE YOU ENCOUNTER DAILY. SHOW THE PERSON YOU NOTICED BY COMPLIMENTING THEM ON THESE ATTRIBUTES. IF THE PERSON IS TOO FAR AWAY TO TALK TO, POINT OUT THE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES TO THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.

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