>A while ago I read a book on positive thinking per the suggestion of my boss. All my life, I’ve managed to think and stay positive for everyone except for myself. So of course, I was naturally reluctant to pick up the book. It screamed, “Cheesy, spiritual hippie bullshit.” And not that I have anything against spiritual shit, hippies, or even cheese – I just thought I was so far gone and too much of a pessimist to be helped. See what I’m sayin? LOL.
But because my boss is good folks, and because I enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing, and because I figured that it wouldn’t kill me, I began page 1 of Mike Robbins’ Focus on the Good Stuff: The Power of Appreciation. The title already made me apprehensive but I managed to read the book in a day … kicking myself in the ass every chapter.
Now. This book didn’t change my life or solve my problems. Hell, I’m even still negative in regards to certain things, but it was a good book. It was good because through it, I was able to learn a lot about myself. Before, I was so negative that I didn’t even realize it. I didn’t think twice before saying something negative or putting myself down, it was just automatic. And while I wouldn’t say that the glass is always half full nowadays, I can definitely say it ain’t half empty either.
There were a few chapters in this book that I found interesting, one of which explored the concept of how unhappy people make fun of those who are. It reminded me of another blog I occasionally visit for her makeup tutorials: Kandee the Make-Up Artist. Her tagline reads: “The happiest place on the internet,” which alone, is enough to make a pessimist wanna step on and crush someone’s rose-colored glasses. But her website and the negative comments I’ve read about her are a perfect example of that specific chapter in Robbins’ book.
It questions how people question the happiness of others. And then I remembered the very first time I stumbled upon her blog and thought to myself, “How can she always be so fucking sun-shiny, rainbows, and roses, cup-cakes and fairy-dust HAPPY?” I know, I know – FOR SHAME. As ridiculous as I thought she was for being so “positive,” I was even more ridiculous for being irritated by it. ‘Cuz really, what on Earth is wrong with being POSITIVE?
Absolutely nothing.
So one day I tried it. Yah, I felt silly. But it only got easier from there. And even if I’m just tricking myself into thinking things are good, it’s way better than when I was convincing myself things were all bad. Now, the mornings are worth getting up for, and the nights are more serene. Sometimes, I’ll tweet or fb something positive and motivational and even get a little sick of myself lol. But it’s true that negativity only breeds more negativity, and by doing so you don’t even give yourself a chance to be happy. And why wouldn’t YOU want YOU to be happy?