Being positive, remaining upbeat and using optimism: a full discourse on positivity

 

 

Firstly there should be no doubt in your mind that positive is the way to be. If you have any intellectual reservations about becoming positive you need to just look at the hard cold facts of life and make the observations for yourself. Successful people are the positive ones – end of story. The people who embrace challenge and see opportunity.

 

In four years I have changed and changed and changed and one thing which has forever improved is my positivity. Not just how I see things, but a deeper and more integral change than that. Changes in my moods, my behaviours, my social habits, my foresight, my reflection, the way I think of myself etc.

 

Going from someone who was used to complaining and criticizing everything around him to where I am now I don’t believe could have taken any less time. Positivity is not just a quick reframe or a mind-set – it’s a whole set of deep changes which take place over a long period of time. But it’s something that with awareness and recognition everyone can benefit from.

 

All other things being equal – the more positive of two people is likely to be the one who succeeds.

 

 

The most common objection against positivity is pointing out how useless it is to sugar-coat the truth. I agree with this – completely.

 

When the shit has hit the fan I want someone to tell me that the shit has hit the fan. I don’t want to hear that everything’s running just fine if the shit has hit the fan.

 

If your car doesn’t start – just ignoring that it’s broken is not being positive, it’s being stupid. The positive mindset would be to think – “well it’s not so bad, I can find a solution to this.”

 

So positivity is not about making things look good – instead it is about looking for solutions, being most effective, being productive, measuring past events realistically and taking away the lessons you can learn from things.

 

Positivity is seeing everything in a productive manner, even obstacles. Positivity is acceptance of how things are; it is finding the drive to look for creative and cool ways to get over problems.

 

Negativity is seeing things as insurmountable. Negativity is surrender in the face of adversity.

 

 

 

Positive people are frequently playful. Playfulness breeds a more productive environment. The key to being serious is relevance and perspective. You want to see the bigger picture. In many situations a light-hearted approach is more fun, more amiable, and more sustainable. The key is combining this with the below moods too.

 

 

As a positive person your persistence must be immeasurable. Gumption is the ability to dive into a complex and pain-in-the-ass type of program with all guns blazing. It is the willingness to ignore the negative feelings you may have towards something, and to get stuck in anyway.

 

Then afterwards, don’t feel the need to complain about your work-load or to boast about how difficult the problem was. Instead just take it on the chin with a grin and move on. That’s real gusto.

 

 

The glass is half full, and next week it’s going to be full. Have rampant optimism again and again. Every opportunity which comes along you see the full potential of how it could open up for you if every single thing went perfect. Every person you meet is not just another average Joe who you’re going to exchange a little tit for tat with, instead you see their potential, you wonder optimistically about the amazing skills this person could have. Inquire – find out – search for these things which you positively foresee in your mind.

 

Yeah you’ll be due a few disappoints here and there – in-fact, more than just a few. But the trick is – being insanely relentless with your optimism. No matter how many opportunities disappoint you completely, look to the next as if it’s your golden ticket to ultra-success.

 

 

Think about some improvement challenge which you’ve struggled with consistently in your life.

 

Now think, why is it that challenging computer games (board games, puzzles, whatever) are so addictive and fun?

 

Computer games are not fun because they are easy. The best ones are challenging and fun.

 

I know this analogy might be wack for some people, but just substitute it for something similiar. It works so I'm stciking with it.

 

What’s the difference here, what’s going on exactly? In what way are you looking at your own life differently than you would look at your characters life in a game?

 

Just the simple realisation that you should be LOOKING FOR THE FUN in all challenge should be enough to get on the right path with this. The next time something is challenging – look for the fun. It might not even be directly in the challenge, but around it. It might be in the build up, or in the reward, or in the sense of fulfilment.

 

One good way of finding fun in challenging is in measuring and comparing your performance via self-kept stats. For example back when I was first learning guitar I used to time how quickly I could perform the incessantly tedious mechanical finger exercises and race my pervious times daily.

 

Look for it everywhere and begin to make your life into a fun challenging computer game.