Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Randomly Tonia

Practice positivity

Positivity is a word that is not recognized by my spell check. Weird, right?! It is, however, in the dictionary, and it means exactly what we would think:

1.the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude

The tendency to be positive, or optimistic in attitude. Well, that suggests that it is almost innate, really. A tendency is something one leans towards or tends to be. That makes it easy!

It is easy to be positive when surrounded by people behaving in a generally positive way. It isn’t hard at all to be positive when we go through the daily grind without a hitch. Those days, those moments, those people make positivity easy.

So why isn’t the world a happier place?! With people out there leaning towards positivity, those naturals, and the times and people that make it easy, why do we struggle to maintain an upbeat, positive outlook?

It is a bit trickier to be positive when one is confronted with disappointment, anger, illness or despair. And in today’s world, there is almost always a negative message confronting us. Sometimes positivity takes practice.

That’s what I want to talk about, not the tendency to be positive, and not the times or people that make it easy to be positive. I want to talk about the part that says “the practice of being positive,” because sometimes it takes a lot of practice.

I won’t pretend to have a magic formula that will help you remain, or even appear, upbeat when you’re not. I won’t even tell you that it is best to always maintain that facade, I think for the sake of being genuine, we all need to give ourselves permission, occasionally, to acknowledge the hurt and even wallow for a moment if we must.

But then it’s time to practice positivity.

Not too long ago someone said to me that it just seems that I always keep a positive outlook. Although I was flattered, I know that that isn’t true. I struggle to remain positive, just as we all do, I am sure – but I keep practicing.

Maybe I can share a few things that help me. When I answer the phone, I smile, because you can hear a smile as much as you can see it – believe me, I know this to be true.

And on the day that you can barely manage a grimace, imagine seeing your best friend’s face break into a gigantic grin, or picture the sweet smile on your babies face or the dance your dog does when he sees you pull into the driveway...THEN answer the phone.

Because, believe me, one other thing I know for sure, is that when a caller hears your smile as you answer that phone, they are softened. So even if they were calling to rip into you, the blow is bound to be lessened.

The second thing that I try to do, is find even just one positive trait in each person I encounter. When I first started doing this, it was hard. But with practice, it became much easier, that positivity. Try it for a few weeks and I think you will find it easier too, after all – practice makes perfect.