The Power of Positivity

First of all, sorry to all of my loyal followers (HI JULIE!) for not posting for a while. I have been pretty busy at work training to do a lot of different things and I don’t have a computer at home so I really haven’t had time to update or anything.

Anyway, today I was driving to work and thinking about the negatives spinning around me right now, not that I was really down in the dumps this morning, but I couldn’t help but think about everything going on and putting everything into perspective. So instead of harping on the negatives, I decided to start thinking of some positives in my life which helped cheer me up a bit like my brother’s engagement, my friends, and possibly starting something with someone in the future through patience and understanding. By the time I got into work, I was pretty happy and started my usually routine; filled up my water bottle, took my morning vitamins, and did some work. After I accomplished some decent work, I decided to surf the net for some interesting or educational articles. Big mistake.

 I’m sure you’ve been with me on this one though. Picture it: You’re sitting at your computer and you log in. Opening up your internet browser, you type into the URL bar www.huffingtonpost.com, www.yahoo.com, www.wsj.com, or whatever it is you please and you hope to find something really good to read. The webpage loads and the first thing you see is a headline that says “Shooting in Aurora, Colorado movie theater,” or “Terror attack in Boston,” or how about “multiple deaths in a Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.” Something tragic is always the lead story. Not a day goes by where I do not see something epically tragic. Right now I logged into Yahoo.com and the first article is about a 12 year-old boy just got arrested for stabbing his 8 year-old sister to death last week. That was the FIRST article that popped up. That’s never what I want to see in the morning. I hate how the media glorifies negativity and violence for the sake of ratings or because an author is trying to make a name for himself. We’ve been inundated by horrible stories for such a long time now, it makes the news not worth listening to.

But loosing faith in people in general for a select few misdeeds is not fair. It’s pretty ridiculous to write people off as a whole because of the negative press we read on a daily basis. Instead, we should note the positivity we encounter throughout our lives. That’s what I have been doing for a while now. Although I read about every tragedy that occurs in America, we can never let these stories dictate our attitudes for our own sake and well being. Negativity in the world begets negativity in our own lives only when we allow it to. When we read a story of unspeakable horror or terror, the best thing to do is recognize the evil the world contains and then recount the positives in your own life to realize all that you have to be thankful for and use that positivity to help others.

One story that sticks out for me, and has followed with me since it happened, was when I was back in College at UVM my junior year when I really needed a friend. I felt like the world was completely against me and I had no one in the world to help me get out of what I was going through. It all changed when I was going into the library when someone came up to me, smiled, and said “This is for you,” and handed me hot apple cider, a bagel with cream cheese, and a card. I asked him what it was for and he just told me I looked sad and to read the card he handed me. He walked over to a table next to the library where there were thermoses filled with hot cider, hot chocolate, and all breakfast foods on the table. When I looked at the card it just said “You’ve been hit with a random act of kindness (pass it along).” I cannot tell you how something so simple made me feel on top of the world. I put the card in my wallet and now every time I feel down and out, I look at it to reconnect with the feeling something so small made me feel.

From then on, I kept track of everything instance of positivity that has happened to me and the positivity I try to spread to others to help brighten their day. And when I say do something positive, I don’t mean go above and beyond looking to spread positivity. I let the opportunities present themselves to me. If I am going into a subway and see a homeless person on the corner, why not pick them up a sandwich so they can eat? If someone drops their wallet, pick it up, chase them down, and give it back to them. If someone is struggling loading groceries into their car, offer to lend them a hand. Even something as simple as a compliment to a stranger goes a long way in cheering someone up. It’s so easy to be hung up on the negatives, but a simple good deed can turn someone’s life around and spread some well needed positive energy.

At the end of the day we all must understand that tragedies happen every day of our lives, but when positivity flows from person to person, some of these negative acts would never happen. Every person needs a bit of positivity shed upon their lives. Just something simple like a text or phone call to a friend saying something nice can make a cloudy day bright again. I think it’s about time we turn the tide on the negativity we have been hearing for the past few decades and start treating each other with decency. Today, I WILL do something positive to help someone else.