Making positivity work

We hear all the time that we should keep a positive attitude, and always look at the bright side of a situation, but what good will that do and how do we keep that positive attitude? In the article, Four Ways to Encourage Positive Thinking in Kids, The First Tee organization writes, “Positive thinking is so powerful — not just for adults but kids as well. Maintaining a positive attitude can be challenging at times, but through practice and encouragement it becomes a skill that can shape and transform lives.”

Practice positive self-talk

Here is a list of 101 positive things to say to yourself. https://www.yourlifeyourvoice.org/JournalPages/101-Positive-Things-to-Say-to-Myself2.pdf

You should speak to yourself as you would speak to your best friend. I am terrible about saying negative things about myself both in my head and in public. Sometimes when I say it in public, I do it because I think the self-deprecating humor puts people at ease, but I shouldn’t do it at all. We should feel good about ourselves, starting with building ourselves up with positive words. When you hear friends putting themselves down or speaking negatively about their possibilities, change the narrative to a positive one for them.

Speak of positive possibilities

I often say I am sending positives out in the universe, and the positive energy almost always brings positive results. When I first started doing this my family was skeptical. We would pull into a restaurant where the parking lot was full, and I would say, “We will get right in.” My family would say that wasn’t possible to which I would reply that now I had to send extra positivity to counteract the negativity. We got right in nine out of ten times, and the looks on my family’s faces were priceless. They now believe in sending out positive energy.

When I was teaching, I always started the year with an exercise in positivity. I wanted the students to see how positivity and negativity changed things. I asked a volunteer to hold their arm, shoulder height to the side. The student would repeat, “I will keep my arm up.” I then told the student that I was going to press down on the arm and he should not let me. I will not be able to push it down. I then tell him to say, “I cannot keep my arm up.” When I push on the arm, the arm falls. The students are always surprised, but it is a great way to show the power of the mind.

Give sending out positive energy a try and see what happens. Say what you want to see happen, write it down for extra power and see what happens. Give it more than one attempt before you claim it doesn’t work, and depending on the thought, you may have to wait for results.

Have a growth mindset

So many of us defeat ourselves before we even try something. Instead of saying you cannot do something, say you cannot do it yet, and then find a way to figure it out.

Accept that setbacks happen

Negatives happen to everyone, but the difference is how you react to the negatives.

Look for the silver lining

I had a series of unfortunate health events and I said to my neighbor, “I think I made the universe angry.” She replied, “Jen, all of your issues are fixable.” Remember, there are always reasons to be grateful.