The Power Of Positivity
One of the hardest, yet most impactful, things we can do… is be positive. To smile. To add joy to the lives of others. It is hard because it is demanding. We are not built to always be positive; in fact, we are built to do the opposite- to point out the bad and highlight the negative. The wiring in our brains tries to find the bad for multiple reasons. Either we are trying to find and avoid danger, or ensure we avoid repeating negative experiences in the future. It is part of a survival instinct, and part of a quick way to learn and remember things we should not do or avoid. But being positive is a perfect example of the hard path being the best path to take in our lives.
Why is it that positivity is so contagious? Well, we can thank our brains for that one too. While we are wired to point out and remember the negative, we are also wired to mimic the emotions and expressions of those around us. So, when your one coworker is all happy and smiling, your brain can’t help but have you mimic them. This makes the act of spreading joy much more than giving individuals physical gifts, and more about giving mental ones. When we are positive, individuals around us can’t help but like us more. When others like you more… you are much more likely to be remembered and offered more opportunities. But how can you begin to harness and use the power of positivity? Look no further! Below are three simple things you can begin practicing today to spread more positivity, but note that you will have to practice them. Positivity is a skill like anything else, and requires focused practice before it becomes a part of who you are to others.
Gratitude - It is hard to be positive when you don’t have a source to draw on. Things that we can draw positivity from are all around us, and when we notice those things and accept them as gifts, we are practicing gratitude. Gratitude starts with noticing the small things. Big things are great, but it is the many small things that add up into something amazing. Unsure where to start? To practice gratitude, we must focus our minds. Keep a journal (writing what we are grateful for), or set a reminder (an alarm to give us space to think about the good things). Anything you can do to bring your mind to focus on the good… will get you to a place where you can find things to be grateful for.
Smile - Coming back to the point about our brains wanting to mirror others’ facial expressions and emotions… it is time to be the person others mirror. If you are the person smiling and having others smile back when they see you, then you will become a person in their mind they are always happy to see. Now, I am not going to tell you to smile because it takes fewer muscles than frowning (because that is not really true), but I will tell you that it may help change your mood for the better. Faking a smile will boost your mood (granted, very slightly and very dependent on the situation), but that is not the reason to put on a smile when you do not want to. The reason I give is that it will draw others to you, and that will boost your mood when they start giving you more opportunities to shine.
Reframe - It is easy to tell you that all you need to do to become a more positive person is to “shift your thinking” or “see things from a new perspective”, but that is not helpful if I do not give you tools to help accomplish that. The first thing you will need to do to make reframing negativity into moments you can draw positivity from is to be fully open to all perspectives. If you are not mentally willing to listen to other views, then you are never going to be open to reframing anything into something other than the way you currently see it. Once you are willing to open your mind, you must think / seek out the other perspectives. You cannot change your thinking if you do not know what the possible options are. Last, you have to find a positive perspective that has enough reasons for you to accept it.
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Till next time,
