Be positive! I’m sure you’ve heard someone say this to you at some point in your life. Whether you’re about to take an exam and you’re not convinced that it’s going to go so well, or you’ve just found out that you’ve been rejected from that job you were hoping to get. You may be feeling down and perhaps talking about how hopeless things are when someone tells you to ‘be positive’.

You may think that being positive is simply not realistic or that being positive won’t change what you go through in life.

However, I’m positive that it’s better to be positive. We can be positive in a way that is real, practical and can actually make a difference in our various circumstances.

Choose to be positive

Having a positive outlook in life doesn’t always come naturally especially if you are facing a particularly difficult situation. It’s easier said than done. Life happens, and it isn’t always good. In fact sometimes things in life are just plain bad and there’s no getting away from that.

So how can we remain positive in this life that is full of ups and downs?

For me, positivity is about being able to recognise the good amongst the bad and using my thoughts to think of solutions rather than dwelling on a problem.

This doesn’t mean that we ignore things that are bad or suppress any negative emotions, but we don’t allow negativity to become a pattern of thinking.

We can acknowledge the facts but we don’t have to give in to believing the worst in a situation. Sometimes we can say things like “this will never work” or “I always ruin things”  when neither of these statements are actually true. We don’t know what the future holds and often where there is a will, there is a way. As much as this may all sound cliché, these changes in our thinking and in our speech can make all the difference.

Positivity is something that doesn’t always come naturally but it is something we have to choose.

Positivity makes a difference

It definitely makes a difference when we choose to be positive. The benefits that a positive mindset can have on our mental and physical health have been proven and well documented through multiple studies (A quick search on google will give all the evidence you need!).  It is known to reduce stress levels and this in turn can lower the risk of certain diseases like heart disease. It is also better for the health and wellbeing of the people around us as our positivity can encourage others to notice the positives in their own lives. Not to mention the fact that positive people have been known to be more successful in achieving their goals. If you believe that you can achieve something you are more likely to move instinctively towards doing what it takes to achieve it.

So it is definitely worthwhile learning to embrace a positive mindset and figuring out what this looks like for you.

In life there is so much that we can be negative about and sometimes this feels like the easier option. So many of us enjoy a little moan or complaining about things we’re not happy with but let’s think about the impact of our thoughts and what we say. How can we shift our perspective to embrace more positivity day to day, in a way that allows us to fix some of the things we complain about?

Philippians 4:8-9 The Message (MSG)

 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Keri x