Positivity is a Choice
Think about the most positive person you know. Do you think positivity is inherent in all they do or do you think they have to work at it? Many people have called me the most positive person they know. I am very positive, and in general, it comes natural to me, but I have to work on positivity every day, every hour, and sometimes every minute.
Positivity is a choice. You can choose to have a positive perspective rather than a negative perspective. What do I mean by that? When it rains outside, you can choose not to complain about the rain and find something positive about it. Maybe the rain means you don’t need to water the flowers outside? When your child spills cereal all over the floor, you hand them a broom and reassure them it is okay to have an accident, instead of yelling. After all, there are much worse problems in life than a pile of cereal on the floor. When a friend forgets your birthday, you don’t get angry, but rather understand that we all make mistakes sometimes. When someone cuts you off while driving, you choose to think they must not have seen you, rather than think the worst of the driver. In every situation, you have a choice on how you will view the moment facing you.
Being positive doesn’t mean everything always goes perfect for you or that life is all roses. That is not the case at all. Being positive means you choose to view negative moments as opportunities and challenges rather than setbacks and failures. Being positive means you work hard to look at each situation from a positive perspective. When you are positive, you strive to make the people around you feel uplifted and happy, rather than drained of energy and feeling gloomy.
To be positive, you have to be aware of your thoughts and reactions in different situations- whether it be at home, school, work or with a group of friends. If you want to increase positivity in your life, start paying attention to what makes you feel positive and what makes you feel negative. Then, make a choice to not be negative at least once a day. As time passes, you will notice you are more positive each day. Once you choose to be positive, you will find that your overall life will be more positive and people will take notice. Hopefully, you will even be smiling a lot more and enjoying everything this great life has to offer. It is as simple as making a choice to be positive.
Kris Fredricks, co-author of “Nip It: Stop Negativity Moment by Moment” has more than twenty years experience guiding groups to enhanced teamwork and more effective performance. She uses her naturally optimistic attitude to help others create a positive vision for how they will work together more effectively. Her natural enthusiasm is contagious. On a personal note, she lives in Western New York, is a mother of two and an avid skier. You can find more positive tales from Kris on the “What’s Your Spective?” blog site.