No question comes to me more commonly than “How do you stay so positive?” Those that know me well are keenly aware that Mr. Positive sure has more than a few moments of Captain Cynical and times where I fall prey to the “bitch first and ask questions later” style of communication.
What keeps me upbeat during most of my waking moments however, is continually observing how incredibly positive other people are, and ingesting each one as a little motivational pill. Last week I got sick with a once a year bout with a cold, sinus, chest mess that comes around to remind me when I am burning the candle at both ends, often over a fire, in an oven. Our bodies’ way to say take better care of me or good things will not be coming your way.
For a high energy person that loathes the thought of sitting or resting, getting knocked back for a couple days brought a healthy reset and a chance to observe countless human interactions via the television and computer screen.
Friday morning, the conversations around the world shifted from fiscal cliff and tax fights to teachers fighting for their lives and those of the kids they hold dear. Days later, the stream of negatives is unrelenting, from the devastation within those families, to the scars left upon that community, and the millions of people impacted through friend and family relationships to those involved. Nobody can force smile or motivational message themselves beyond how awful all of that is on every level.
We can choose though, to turn off the negatives that we don’t want to overwhelm our ability to stay positive enough to battle through real challenges like that. How much we moan about having a cold, the person who cuts in front of us in line, what the weather is like, or how weird the dress attire is inside of Wal-Mart, lessens our ability to stay bright when someone depends on our light.
It’s all about math, however, in terms of staying positive. How many good things happen to each of us every day versus the number of bad things that come our way. For me, waking up each day is one heck of a good dose in the positive column, along with knowing my kids and my wife are alive, well, and mostly thinking positive thoughts about my well-being. A hot shower, clean clothes, and a Volt charged up for the day and I am off.
Add in having an opportunity to pursue your dreams in a business that introduces you to good people, who in turn introduce you to other good people, and as you can imagine, by the time I hit Blackbird Cafe in the morning, Mr. Positive is on a roll.
Set backs can seem endless or fleeting moments, depending on how much time and energy you let them have. If you soak up the lady that held the door for you, the guy who waved when you drove by, the deer you saw in the forest, the cute kid walking down the street with his mom and dog, and every green light you pass, all the rest seems more trivial. Selfishly, I’m just glad to be here, having another shot at a great day. Even if lots of stuff does not go my way, I believe I’ll be back at it tomorrow, with an even better chance. Negative stuff absolutely happens, in this very positive world we live in.