The Surprising Power of Positivity

I’m old enough to think of Disney’s Pollyanna movie with Haley Mills whenever I hear someone being overwhelmingly positive. In our household, ‘pollyanna’ is even a metaphor for being optimistic when it feels inauthentic.

But having a positive attitude is one of the smartest things you can do even if it seems like you are in the middle of cycle Murphy’s law.

Why?

Being positive, not that fake plastic smile you might associate with a salesperson, but really choosing to find the good in all things changes everything.

What do I mean by that? Both science and religion agree that you get more of what you focus on. This is the law of sowing and reaping. But wait, there’s more…

Being positive:

• Kicks in the law of attraction in your favor

• Keeps your mind open to creative new ideas and problem-solving rather than shutting down and getting stuck in a mental rut

• Puts you on a higher, feels good frequency that feels better than sourness or depression

• Trains your brain

Being positive is just as closely tied to the law of assumption as it is to the law of attraction.

The law of assumption tells you to assume that you already have what you want, experience feeling the feelings, and you shall have it. Your subconscious mind goes to work 24/7 to bring it to pass.

It works in the negative too. Assume you’ll get the flu during flu season, assume you’ll get laid off, assume you can’t afford something and you dramatically increase the odds of that being your experience.

So let’s get practical. How do you stay positive in the middle of Murphy’s law…that’s the one that says if anything can go wrong, it will.

Assume that regardless of what happens, everything always works out for you. Assume that this ‘thing’ you are experiencing has come into your life to actually bring you closer to your goals. It’s a subtle shift in your perspective. If you follow scripture, you’ll can think of Romans 8:28 that begins ‘And we know that all things work together for good…’

This mental attitude keeps you from focusing on the temporary, seemingly contrary circumstances and keeps you optimistic and positive about your purpose and the goals you set for yourself.

If you struggle to find the positive in your life, it just means that you’ve been practicing letting your mind wander where it will. We’ve all been programmed to respond to negative news, so accept that’s been true of your past but moving forward, your past doesn’t define you.

Decide to change your mental outlook. You have that power. You also can get help by people who’ve done what you want to do. And if you don’t already have that kind of person or those people in your network, then reach out to me. It’s that important that you learn and practice looking for the good in all things.

Finally, being positive makes gratitude easy. We’ll discuss the power of gratitude next time.