M.J. Blehart's Blog, page 104

Positivity: Escape the Insanity

We can step away from the insanity.

Sometimes that’s what we should do. Step away. Turn it off. Tune it out.

Despite the amazing interconnectivity of our world today, we still have the ability to get away from it. We can ignore social media, we can avoid the news, and we can find things that make us feel good instead.

Let’s just admit that there is a whole lot of crazy out there. We are inundated with things that upset, anger, infuriate and even depress us. I don’t care where you fall in the modern political nightmarescape or where your religious or spiritual or moral viewpoints lie – divide and play on fear appears to be the way of things.

We don’t have to be slaves to the connections that allow us to stay in touch with one another, we have the power to turn them off. We can leave them behind and get away from it all, if we so choose.

There is something to be said for leaving your mobile phone, tablets, computers and other technology behind in order to get away from the negativity. It can be a deeply positive experience to find something else to focus on and be clear of the barrage of information.

There are so many other things to occupy ourselves with. A hike in nature, quiet meditation, reading a real paper book, losing ourselves in music whether recorded or live, a game of cards with friends, playing with children or just cuddling with someone we love. All of these things that make us feel good generate positive energy, and I don’t know anyone who does not crave to feel good and thus experience positivity.

We do not need to always be available, and we do not constantly need to be connected. It is both healthy and comforting to step away from the world and be disconnected. The internet will still be there when you get back, and will get on just fine if you are not connected to it continually.

Sometimes we forget that we can shut down the electronics, we can unplug from the world and do things. There is a great deal of positivity in not being on top of everything happening out there every minute of every day, and I know that I feel better when I take a step back from it all.

We can still be there for our friends and the rest of the people we love, even when we choose to step away. There are ample times when it is a far better choice to detach from the information overload, and reconnect with your immediate surroundings in the here and now.

It is ok to put the internet down for a while. Your sanity will likely thank you.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action. Knowing that we can get away from the insanity of the world simply by turning off the multitude of social media outlets we connect ourselves to, we can choose to find alternatives that make us feel good. When we cease to be bombarded by our interconnectivity and focus on more immediate and positive things, we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the eighty-fifth entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

Pathwalking 193

Why have you chosen the path you are on?

Whether or not you are consciously Pathwalking, why have you chosen whatever path you are on?

This is a surprisingly important question that all-too-often gets waylaid. We know there are paths we want to walk in life, but why do we want to walk them?

Pathwalking is about choosing your own destiny. It is about taking control over your life and finding what makes you happy. Because, when all is said and done, finding happiness and joy is really what most people are after in this life.

So the question of why this path is important. Did you choose this path because you thought it would make you happy? Or did you choose this path because of someone else, or some outside influence?

Yes, I recognize that there are necessities in life. We need to work jobs to make money so that we can have places to live and food to eat and all that important stuff. What I am constantly surprised by is how readily we accept mediocrity, how we do not resist control exerted by forces way, way outside of our general scope.

What does that mean? As I skim through Facebook and Twitter, I am constantly reading negative posts all about government injustice, religious intolerance, hatred, bigotry, inequality and many other terrible things. In the United States we have an important election coming up in fourteen months or so, and it is already being hijacked by levels of partisanship and outright insanity that can nearly cause physical pain.

Yes, all of these things ARE important. We need to know when we are being swindled, when there is injustice and the people we should be cautious of. However, these are, when you get down to it, distractions from our paths.

When you focus on these big picture events, when you get upset about these national and global problems, you give away your empowerment. You cede your thoughts and emotions over to faceless, nameless powers that will do nothing, when all is said and done, to better your life and help you to choose a path.

What has this got to do with the why of the path you choose? Are you aware of the path you are on, or are you focused on these other, seemingly bigger things? I think most of us let ourselves be distracted by these larger-than-life matters, and as such ignore our own paths, our own lives and the choices that matter.

Utter selfishness. No, actually, it’s not. Who knows me better than I do? Who knows you better than you? We alone know ourselves, and as such we alone know that we want to choose paths for ourselves, and more importantly WHY we want to choose the paths we are on.

We all need to step back, and stop letting these immense insanities dominate our processes. We need to tighten our focus on finding our own, individual joy and happiness, because when all is said and done that is the only thing we truly can take control over.

You can write letters to the people “in charge”, you can choose to vote for certain politicians in the election, and you should at least have awareness of what all is going in out there. But focusing so much energy on these matters that we have next to no control over does nothing but distract us from Pathwalking.

So – why have you chosen the path you are on? Will this path make you happy? Because the most important thing we can do is to find ways to discover and experience joy. Yes, we need to “earn a living” and to “contribute to society” and other such matters, but we cannot ignore ourselves. It is not selfish to desire to be happy, to look for joy in life.

Why isn’t it selfish? Because when we are happier and more joyful, we can more easily make those around us more happy and joyful. When we are more able to find contentment and satisfaction over discontent and dissatisfaction, we empower ourselves. When we are more empowered, people will take notice, and we can then help them to empower themselves.

When we focus on these larger-than-life situations out there, we are just distracting ourselves and those who are reading along with us from walking our paths, and from discovering what we truly want to have in life.

I cannot deny that it is a challenge to walk the line between being informed and being deluged in information. When you find that you are researching situations you can do nothing about instead of working on your own paths, you will find that you are inattentive to your own emotional and probably spiritual needs.

So I should just ignore all that stuff and it will go away? No, but unless you can take some form of action, why focus on these things? Know about them, but like negative emotions you can choose whether or not to let them linger. Do what you can if you feel the need. Write a letter, fire off an angry e mail to those politicians, and vote for better leaders when the election comes. Otherwise, does putting focus on these things help you walk your path?

When you have clarity, and you know why you are choosing the paths you choose, you will find that uncovering happiness and joy and satisfaction in life is easier. It is also more fulfilling, and more empowering. I don’t know anyone who does not want to feel accomplished and in control of their life and their choices, so knowing why you want what you want is as important as walking the path to get to the end goal.

Do you know why you have chosen the path you are on?

 

This is the one-hundred ninety third entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share.  Thank you for joining me.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available in print and for your Kindle.

Positivity: Labor Day

Today in the United States is Labor Day.

The most positive thing about this day is the victory achieved that made it so that there are no more sweat shops in this nation, so that we have protections about getting breaks during the work day, and other privileges we often take for granted.

Many people’s sacrifices and struggles and hard work made this day possible, and that is a positive thing.

Fighting for something good that you believe in is a positive thing. When it comes to basic human rights, EVERYBODY deserves the chance to live a decent, equal and happy life.

There are a lot of people out there who would love to turn back the clock, return us to the world of exclusions and denials of rights and equality only for those who can afford to pay for it. Today marks the celebration of the victory of the masses to not have to be worked to death, and that is something we should honor. Take a moment today and think about the freedom we take so readily for granted, and beware the negative messages of those who would take it away for their own gains.

One of the great positives we have in this world are the laws that protect us from greed. Laws that protect us from greed-induced harm. We take this for granted more than we realize, I fear, and see only the three-day weekend or impressive retail sales that mark this day. Also positive, but a small piece of a much larger pie in need of acknowledgement.

We get inundated by negativity, and I write this blog every week because I believe that the world we live in is in fact better than that. There is always positivity to be found, and I seek and share it wherever I can.

This day is a celebration of freedom from oppression, and that is nothing but positive. We all deserve fairness, we all deserve to be treated like valued individuals, and Labor Day is all about that. Let us remember positively those who have gone before us so that we might have this, and celebrate the best we can.

Today is proof that we live in world that is not lacking positivity. I know it can be hard to see, and difficult to find at time, but it exists. We can find and create more, we just have to remember that it’s there for the taking and it is there for EVERYONE.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action. Knowing that good people who went before us made our world a better place, we can celebrate them and what they have gifted us with. When we take the time to see the positivity in the hard work that has gone into making our world, and express our gratitude for it, we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

This is the eighty-fourth entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

Equal Rights and Religious Freedom

The United States of America is NOT, repeat, NOT a Christian Country. Period. End of discussion.

Further, please correct me if I am mistaken, but didn’t Jesus preach equality? From the low to the high, all are children of God and should be respected as such? Who do you think you are claiming your hatred, your bigotry, your discrimination, or your misogyny is in the name of God?

Let’s discuss another absolute fact. There is no war against Christianity in the USA. Period. End of discussion.

America is a great big melting pot. EVERY SINGLE RELIGION you can imagine is found here, and allowed to be practiced. No one religion dominates. Nor should it. That is the definition right there of freedom of religion – go ahead and practice it, no matter what it is.

Besides, do you realize how many forms of Christianity exist? Beyond Catholicism, Lutheranism, Protestantism, Methodist, Baptist…how many more forms are there? How many divides even amongst these? And do they all agree? No. So you are completely off base if you believe that anyone is waging a war against Christianity as a whole.

Look, I have nothing against anyone practicing their religion. Go for it. What I DO have a problem with is when you try to push your beliefs on anyone else. In especial if you work a mundane, private-sector job.

If you do not work for a church or other religious organization, you have NO RIGHT to use your beliefs to deny someone goods or services. Are you a pharmacist? Ok, you prescribe birth control and morning after pills and all other drugs, PERIOD. No debate, that’s what you do. Are you a butcher? Unless you are specifically a Kosher butcher I would bet you sell pork. Justice of the Peace? You marry couples, gay or straight. That’s how it works.

It is extremely disconcerting to see so much outright hatred, bigotry and misogyny happening in this day and age. The so-called leaders who unapologetically spout it somehow stir-up the old animosities, and we’re tossed backwards in time. Suddenly it is acceptable to openly express your bias against anyone who is not like you.

What happened? I grew up when we were talking about inclusion. Equal rights for EVERYONE. Color of your skin, religion, gender, economic standing – they didn’t matter. Equality was the word. Now – suddenly its ok to proudly be discriminatory in the name of…take your pick. God. Money. Race. Creed. Whatever group you want to tag yourself onto.

You know what? It’s NOT ok. Equality IS everyone’s right. There is only so much I can do as an everyman to express this, but here it is: WE ALL deserve equal treatment. If you are male, female, transgendered, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Christian, Atheist, Muslim, Jew, young, old, rich, poor, heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, fat, thin, hot, cold…whatever – you deserve equal treatment!

There are people in positions of leadership RIGHT NOW that do not stand for equality, and make no bones about that. There are people attempting to gain positions of leadership who are unabashed bigots, haters and misogynists. PAY ATTENTION, and let’s kick them to the curb. Don’t allow them and their disparate followers to turn back the clock to the inequalities of the past.

Stand up and make your position known.

Join me in shouting more loudly than the haters – EQUAL RIGHTS FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

Pathwalking 192

Today is my birthday. My birthday is my personal New Year’s Day.

So what? What does that have to do with Pathwalking? If this is the start of a new year, then it is the perfect opportunity to set new actions to take.

I have written before that I do not believe in New Year’s resolutions, but rather New Year’s actions. Resolving is a passive concept, while taking action is direct. It is through one of my first new year’s actions that this blog came into being.

So why this year treat my birthday as a new year? I am in the middle of some pretty heavy life transitions at the moment. Nothing bad, just a lot of change, and I have control over what that will be and what it will mean. As such, I am putting extra effort into manifesting the things I want from this life.

There are goals I want to achieve along this path, and I have to overcome the obstacles placed in my path by myself. Yes, I am my own greatest obstacle, but being aware of that gets me more than halfway towards overcoming these.

As this new year begins for me, I am taking stock of what this previous year wrought. What things do I have from this past year to be grateful for?

The past year has been amazing. I have had multiple incredible experiences for which I am nothing but grateful. I had some excellent once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and many firsts not to be ignored. As my own personal years go, this has been one of the best.

Time is relative. How we measure time is personal, whether cyclical, linear or some combination therein. While we all acknowledge minutes, hours, days, weeks, years and the like, we still have different understandings of the mechanics of time. Some experiences feel as though they occur quicker than others and the like.

I want to celebrate the year that was and express all my gratitude for the people, the things and the experiences I enjoyed this past year. It has been utterly amazing, and I hope that it is the sign of things to come!

Now it’s time to review the path I am on, the goals I want to attain and manifesting over the next year the life I most want to live.

With the transition I am experiencing at the moment, I have been hard pressed to keep my focus. Matters are very unpredictable, and I do not always cope as well as I should with such. What’s more, I have to work even harder to keep positive against my uncertainty.

I know life is all about change. I am all for change. Sometimes change can be really scary.

So – what are the actions I will take with this new year? There are three I am going to set out there. Yes, by putting this here I am working to remind myself that these must be done.

Mind my intentions daily. If does not take a ton of effort to go over the intentions I have set. This also helps me to renew and change them as some are reached and others need to be altered.

1. Mind my intentions daily. If does not take a ton of effort to go over the intentions I have set. This also helps me to renew and change them as some are reached and others need to be altered.
2. Daily gratitude. I often try to do this, but somehow it gets neglected. Every day, 3-5 items for which I am grateful; I cannot just write these out, I need to feel them, too.
3. Be kinder to myself. I need to stop judging myself as harshly as I do. I am my own worst critic, and I need at least daily to remind myself that I should treat myself better. When I am feeling out-of-sorts more often than not this is because of how I am looking at myself.

Ok, so what? What does this have to do with MY path? If I can do this, anyone can do this. We are not alone in choosing to find and walk paths, and yet it’s amazingly easy to forget this. So many outside influences, so many perceived failures and missteps and false starts. You do not need to select the start of the calendar new year or your birthday new year – you can use the new month, the new week, even the new day to start fresh and review where you have come and where you wish to go.

The point of this is that we write our own paths in life. We are the makers of our own destinies, and we alone can manifest our own dreams. How this works is not the same for everyone, what works for me may not work for you or anyone else, and vice versa. But I know, because I have witnessed it, that this does work.

Since I began Pathwalking almost four years ago, my life has been enriched. I have enjoyed more control over my destiny, and I have felt happier overall. My life has changed quite a bit since then, and upon analysis I have to say that those changes have been for the better.

This is not an ending, this is a beginning. I am taking this lifetime milestone to look ahead to what more I want to create, and to put out the effort to make even greater and better things for myself. I also want to express my gratitude for all that I have manifested, because with gratitude you can make even more along the way.

Milestones and holidays should not be the only days we celebrate. Everyday can be amazing, if we create it to be. Yes, this might sound hokey or otherwise ludicrous, but that does not make it any less true. We choose more than we believe that we do, and we can make more choices for ourselves along the way.

Last but not least, a shameless self promotion. In celebration of my birthday, today and tomorrow my fantasy novel – Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) is free for the Kindle. I am very proud of this work, and want to promote it (Book II should be coming out in November).

Thank you for your continued support!

What do you do to celebrate your birthday?

 

This is the one-hundred ninety second entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share.  Thank you for joining me.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available in print and for your Kindle.

My Birthday gift to YOU

In celebration of my birthday tomorrow, I have decided to do a FREE promotion of Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) for the Kindle.

Please spread the word to all your friends!

Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) – FREE for Kindle tomorrow (September 2nd) and Thursday (September 3rd).

Denied his powers, a prophesied sorcerer must reclaim what he’s lost. Caught up in a rebellion between a powerful King and his equally strong-willed daughter in a land where sorcery is forbidden, he must reclaim his abilities so he might reach his destiny to restore the glory of sorcery lost in a tragedy five millennia ago, to prevent the forces of chaos from overrunning the world.

Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) is a young adult/fantasy novel.

 

Positivity: The Good

Sometimes it’s really easy to lose sight of the many good things we have in our lives.

If you are reading this, chances are you live in a place where you have freedom, where you are encouraged to think for yourself, where you have opportunities to grow and change and to do and be the things you desire.

When I watch the news of the world I sometimes get caught up in just how awful some people’s lives are. The thousands upon thousands of refugees with no homes, the people living in war torn nations where food and electricity are scarce, the people living in places where heavy-handed regimes dictate the majority of their lives for them.

If you are reading this, then like me you are more fortunate than these people. You have the means to surf the web and educate yourself, you have the ability to change your life in a manner that brings you the most opportunities.

Yes there are some awful, negative matters across the globe that impact us in various ways. Focusing on them and giving them energy and attention does not help them, or us. We can send messages to the people in power asking them to do their jobs and do something, but even that does not help us to be and feel more positive.

I am not trying to be cold or callous or uncaring towards those who are suffering out there. But I can’t help them or anyone if I do not recognize and acknowledge my own world. It is not petty and small or even selfish to take time to find positives in our own lives, because when we feel more positive we can help to spread positivity to others.

On a more personal level, there are times when I get caught up in seeing all those terrible things out there, and forget to be grateful for my life. I sometimes neglect to be properly grateful for what I DO have, and to express that gratitude. Gratitude goes a long ways towards building positivity, and it is something easily given that we withhold for reasons unknown.

Sometimes this whole thing seems ludicrous. Sometimes it is easy to question what it’s all worth, and to wonder if it matters in the end. The reality of this is that it does, and we should be grateful for what we have and to give more focus and attention to the good things in our lives. The positivity this generates can and will spread, and we will gain more things to feel good about as such.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action. Knowing you have a surprising number of good things in your life, you can give them more focus and expressions of gratitude. When we recognize all the good things we have and we give them more attention than the bad things out in the world, we empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

 

This is the eighty-third entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.

Seeker – Kindle Countdown Sale

In celebration of my birthday next week, I have decided to do a FREE promotion of Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) for the Kindle.

I would GREATLY appreciate if you would spread the word to all your friends!

Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) – FREE for Kindle September 2nd and 3rd  (next Wednesday and Thursday) in celebration of my birthday!

Denied his powers, a prophesied sorcerer must reclaim what he’s lost. Caught up in a rebellion between a powerful King and his equally strong-willed daughter in a land where sorcery is forbidden, he must reclaim his abilities so he might reach his destiny to restore the glory of sorcery lost in a tragedy five millennia ago, to prevent the forces of chaos from overrunning the world.

Seeker (The Source Chronicles Book I) is a young adult/fantasy novel.

 

Pathwalking 191

Do you have a tendency to second-guess yourself?

I do. It has often been, as far as I can tell, one of the main causes of my indecisive moments. I make a decision, sure…but then I second guess it.

Pathwalking is about choosing a path and making your own way. I have the idea, I have the notion I know what I want to do with the given path. But…but what if I have it all wrong?

It was recently pointed out to me that I do this subconsciously. As we were travelling somewhere this past weekend, Google Maps suggested a route I was wary of. I took it, but kept wondering if I should have chosen a different option, as there were three available.

I didn’t simply let it go, I questioned it for some time. How much longer will this take if I chose wrong? How bad will these roads be? What if we were better off going one of the other ways? I somehow let that really drill into my brain.

Why did I second guess? What difference might the other routes have made? As was pointed out to me, even if I chose a bad route, we would still get to our destination. Sure, it may be slightly longer or slightly shorter, but we were on the road and the destination would be reached.

This opened up some thought processes that I had not really given proper attention to. How many times have I been on the path but wondered if I should have chosen another? How often along the path I am walking do I wonder if an alternate path to the same goal may have been better?   What’s more – how often does my questioning cause me to neglect the path I have chosen as I fret about missed paths and the goal at the end?

This is one of the places where I stumble the most in my life. I do not live as thoroughly in the now as I should, and as such I may be on a given path – but am I just going along with it while letting my mind drift to think about the goal or to think about the other path options I could have chosen? Or am I neglecting this path by considering other goals I should have striven for or…or…or…can you see how this can spiral out of control?

I start with a path, I make my choice…and then question what I have chosen. I do this far too often, and it was a simple question about an unrelated matter that made me analyze this. Why do I so frequently second guess myself?

Part of this is confidence. Am I confident in the choices I have made? I would like to be able to say yes, but the truth of the matter is, no, I am not confident about my choice. Even when I am working on a path I am certain is the path I SHOULD be working on, I still do not feel confident. I often find myself frustrated because I have a hard time just deciding and going with it.

Where does this come from? I can’t entirely be sure. I don’t know that there is some deep-seated matter of something in my past that serves to explain this problem. This may however be related to one of the Four Agreements I often get tripped up on:

Don’t take things personally. I know that I have a tendency to worry about how my choices and my actions might effect those around me. I might cause them hurt, or I might cause them disappointment. I might fail to live up to their expectations of who and what I am.

That’s a problem. I do not need to live up to anyone’s expectations but my own. I alone know who I am and what path I should care to walk. It is for me alone to figure out what that means and where that might take me. Those outside influences cannot know what is best for me because what they know of me is limited by their interactions and experiences with me.

I have long struggled with this particular issue. This stems from not just fears of success and failure, but fear of abandonment. What if I succeed? What if I fail? Will the people I care about abandon me over my foolishness?

This is the thing I most need to learn to let go of. I am walking my own path, and rather than be worried what negative effects this might produce, I should instead be focusing on the positive. I am choosing my own destiny, not allowing another to do that for me. I am taking control of my own life instead of allowing someone else that power. I can have more freedom to be the most genuine me I can be, and rather than be concerned about how this could go badly, I should be focused on how this WILL go well.

I alone know what I want to make of my life, and I am being judged by no one who matters other than myself. I need to not be so judgmental of myself, because I would not want to be so harshly judgmental of others in the same way. That matters. Why do I treat myself as lesser than I might treat others?

I need to be more aware of my choices, and stop second guessing them. I know that I am on the right paths, and I know that my choices might be imperfect, but they are never permanent and always fluid. I can make of this life whatever I wish, and I need to be more decisive and less uncertain and walk my paths.

How do I stop second guessing myself? I need to make and stick with my choices more decisively. I need to be aware of my mindset AFTER the choice, and not rehash it over and over. I need to remember who I am, what I want, and that I can manifest the life I would choose with thought, emotion and intentional actions. Second guessing is of no good to choosing and walking my path, and I need to remain keenly aware of that.

I need to add a step to my Pathwalking. Thought. Feeling. Intentional actions. DECISIVENESS. No more second guessing – if I choose poorly, I just have to choose anew down the line.

What would you do if you found yourself second-guessing your plans?

 

This is the one-hundred ninety first entry in my series. These weekly posts are specifically about walking along the path of life, and my personal desire to make a difference in this world along the way. Feel free to re-blog and share.  Thank you for joining me.

The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available in print and for your Kindle.

Positivity: The small stuff

How do you find positivity when you are thoroughly inundated by negativity?

I am frequently amazed by just how many negative things can be found across the internet. In especial, social media is frequently used as an outlet to complain about politics, social dynamics and other life matters. I see so many more complaints than commendations, it can be rather disheartening.

This is of course the reason why I started this particular weekly post. I needed to put something positive out there to see if I could help to turn the tide.

The problem is that negativity begets negativity. The more negative things we put out there, surprise surprise, the more negative things we receive. When we get focused on that, it can be hard to see positives in the world.

But life is full of more positives than negative, when you look at the small stuff. Sure the big picture worldwide stuff can be scary and a real downer, but when we give it our focus and attention we just help to make it bigger and scarier and more dominant.

So let’s look at the small stuff that is so much more positive. You’re alive. You are reading this. You have the sky above you. You have things for which to be grateful. You are able to make choices about the life you want to live. You can seek out positivity over negativity. You have the power over your own life right here for the taking.

Yeah yeah yeah, heard it all before. So what? The thing is, when we start by focusing on the seemingly mundane, small positives in our lives it turns out we will discover more and more positives. The smaller positives will lead to larger positives. Starting small is the key to getting greater empowerment and more positivity for yourself.

Another means to combat negativity: think before you post. Whether an e mail or a tweet or a meme to Facebook or whatever, think about what you are putting out there. Is this something positive or negative? Am I showing a positive and supporting something or a negative and opposing something? Be aware of what you are giving in order to be aware of what you want to be getting.

When we make more conscious and conscientious choices about where we give our attention, we have the opportunity to decide if we will seek positivity or negativity, and we can further choose which of these to share with the world at large.

Finding positivity is not hard, it just requires action. Knowing you can take the seemingly insignificant small stuff that is good and give that your attention, you can use it as a stepping stone to greater positives. When we can find greater positives in our lives, we can use those to empower ourselves. When we feel empowered, we often spread that feeling to others around us, and as such can build more positive feelings. We can use the positive feelings this generates to dissolve negative feelings. When we take away negative feelings, we open up space to let in positive feelings, and that is something we can be grateful for. Gratitude leads to happiness. Happiness is the ultimate positive attitude. Positive attitude begets positive energy, and that is always a good thing.

 

 

This is the eighty-second entry of my Positivity series.  It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone.  Feel free to share, re-blog and spread the positivity.