I cannot always control what goes on outside. But I can always control what goes on inside.– Wayne Dyer
It’s so easy to notice what’s wrong.
It takes practice to see what’s right.
I don’t know why negativity thrives in some people. Maybe they lived around negativity for years. They have become skilled at attaching labels on what’s wrong with other people, our work, our life, our relationships, ourselves and our recovery. Heck, even my beloved Luijoe is thrown at my face when these negative/unhealthy people lose all sense of their arguments in my entries.
I don’t need this negative energy. When it comes, I throw it back to that person. That negative energy belongs to them. Negative thinking empowers the problem so I don’t let it get to me. Negativitis cripples the Human Spirit. Negative energy sabotages and destroys. You see it around even here in the blogosphere, blogs with crab mentality or with shock appeal. They even have their own community of whiners. Nothing surprising there. Negative people attract other complainers. It has a powerful life of its own.
So does positive energy . Sometimes, it can’t be helped that I get my dose of negative vibes but I let it go after a while. I don’t let it destroy me. Each day, I ask myself, what’s right and what’s good about other people, my work, my day and my loved ones. Positive energy heals and transforms.
I choose positive energy. I try to maintain a positive frame of mind by surrounding myself with positive energy in my life. I usually add the following elements to my life:
1. Uplifting music– How often do you get a song “stuck in your head’ for a few hours or days with the lyrics repeating themselves in your mind? Lyrics that are positive and inspirational, is a good thing. I know it sounds silly but I play “Dancing Queen” when I am exercising because I feel I am so alive with the lyrics “You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life”
2. Inspirational Books- Self help books are good resources to help me change my outlook and the things I say to myself. A book I am currently reading is “Do What You Love for the Rest of Your Life” by Bob Griffiths. I had a new career and a new life at my prime yet I am having the time of my life.
3. Positive People- Positive energy in my life emanates with the company I keep. I choose friends that uplift me. I read blogs that contain a positive resolution even if it starts out with a rant. I enjoy the company of friends that provide support when I am down and fun when I’m feeling at the top of the world, wisdom when I am lost.
4. Positive Affirmation- My Daily Positive Affirmations can subtly but pervasively change my self talk from negative to positive. Whenever something bothers me, I keep reminding myself that we cannot control people’s actions, attitudes and even events. I label it as the Three P’s (People, Places and the Past). The only thing we can control is our attitude. But it isn’t that easy. One of the choices in recovery is choosing what we want to think and using our mental energy in a positive way.
So when you think the world is against you, just say this:
Today, I will empower the good in myself, others and life. I’m willing to release, or let go of, negative thought patterns and replace them with positive ones. I will choose what I want to affirm, and I will make it good.
Photo via tinybuddha.com