keepin it positive

This is such a hard subject. I've always aspired to be a positive person. You know the "half full" glass drinker. We all tend to think we're fairly positive people. And we are, when things are going good, when all is how it should be. But who are we when things don't go our way? When trivial things come up in our everyday lives. We gain 5 pounds, don't meet budgets, kids throw tantrums, and the list goes on. Who do we become. Well, unless you are a perfect saint (and don't fool yourself), we all become negative in some form or another. The complaints start like a well-fed waterfall.

"I can't do anything right."

"Why do I bother."

"I'll eat what I want."

Trust me. I'm the biggest offender. I get so worked up that emotions run high. I over analyze every little detail. Things could not get any worse. Why must I endure such hardships? Am I on karma's hit list?

Have you ever noticed how the flow of negativity always gets more and more built up? I remember sitting in a psychology class...or was it anatomy...when I learned that negative thoughts and emotions will continue to build and build. That it becomes easier and easier to stay in that frame of mind. It's programmed in us. A gang that continues to initiate new members. New negative thoughts that get us into a frenzy.

Not only do negative thoughts make us become more cynical, condescending, not fun people to be around. But it also causes our body to get all out of sorts. Main point of the story: we do not do negative well.

Just like my work in progress speech, I'll continue to pursue positivity in my life.  It's going to take work, in some situations more than others. But I guess that's one of the great challenges we all have.

I have this new book called "Gratitude" and it is full of glorious blank pages. I don't know why, but I get more excited about blank books than ones filled with other people's thoughts and ideas. I guess it's because I'm a writer at heart. I love the opportunity to write your own story, dig deep into your own consciousness. We're all writers. We're all full of great thoughts and ideas. I'm challenging myself to write something I am grateful for, thankful for, or generally recognize as a wonderful positive thing every day in this book. Maybe more things if I can come up with them. All it takes is giving ourselves moments, however frequent we may allow, to look around and keep it positive.

And when we start feeling ourselves get into that negative frenzy, stop and think about it. What can we be thankful for at that exact moment? Stop the downward cycle with one positive thing. And trust me, it'll go up from there. If you have trouble, and for some reason can't think of one positive thing. Think this: you are alive. You are breathing, you are here. You have the opportunity that others may no longer have. To change it up, and walk a different path.

Things I am thankful for right now:

Saturday lazy day...family pajama and cartoon time.

Rain, and getting to go outside when it was finished.

Happy, energetic littles that we get to claim as our kids.

And so very much more as I sit here and write. I am thankful for the opportunity.

Yeah, I'm going to ride this wave.

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you,
till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer,
never give up then,
for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn."
-Harriet Beecher Stowe