Happy Positive Thinking Day!

Hey, there!

Did you know about this unofficial holiday? I, for one, only heard about Positive Thinking Day a few days back. I can’t seem to find its origin and the reason for its commemoration every 13th of September. 🤔 Anyway, I’m not the most optimistic person you’ll ever meet, but still, I do believe that we should at least try to have a more positive perspective every day of our lives. I guess it’s nice to be reminded at least once in a year to be so. 😌

Let me just put it out here, even at the expense of sounding a bit too negative on Positive Thinking Day no less, it’s challenging to be optimistic at this time of the pandemic when nothing is certain and when – what used to be everyday mundane things like going out for fun – becomes a daunting experience that leads to anxiety. With all that said, how do you keep a positive mindset?

I was completely honest earlier when I said that I’m not the most optimistic person you’ll ever meet. I am a worrier by nature and it’s a terrible feeling. I constantly find myself wondering (and worrying) about the outcome of a situation that hasn’t even occurred yet! Terrible, I tell you. Absolutely terrible. So, I try to tell myself to chill and to...

I haven’t the slightest clue about the plot of the Disney movie, “Meet the Robinsons” as it’s been ages since I last saw it, but that, above, is one of their famous lines that stuck with me to this day. It reminds me to keep on keeping on, whatever the outcome of any situation may be. When you fail, it’s frustrating, it could hurt. That’s all true. But you can always pick something up from it at the very least. Ultimately, everything in life is a learning experience.

You may have heard a version of this at one point in your life: “God is preparing you for what you’re asking for and He will give it to you in His perfect time.” I believe this to be true. One of the things that “keeps me moving forward” is my faith that a pot of gold is waiting for me at the end of the rainbow, so to speak. My faith enables me to feel gratitude. I’m grateful for my good relationship with my family and friends who keep me grounded. I’m grateful for my boyfriend who keeps me sane during this crazy time. I’m grateful for my job that provides some level of stability. I’m grateful to have this platform where I can share my thoughts and love for writing. I’m grateful for maintaining a good health. I’m grateful for the opportunities that still come my way that will, eventually, allow me to help others. This feeling of gratitude allows me to keep a positive mind during my lowest of lows. It keeps things in perspective - that I still have a good thing going, though it may not feel like it.

There’s one more thing I’d like to share you with, it’s a line from one of Colleen Hoover’s books (she’s one of my absolute favorite authors). It goes like this:

"Sometimes in life, we need a few bad days in order to keep the good ones in perspective."

We won’t be able to appreciate how great a good day is if we’ve never felt how awful a bad day could get. So, never let a bad day discourage you. It’s a bad day, not a bad life after all. (And for those of you curious, you can find that quote from “Maybe Someday.” It’s a good read, give it a try!)

Though I honestly can’t maintain a positive attitude all day, every day, because it isn’t how I’m wired unfortunately, I’ve come to this realization: positivity is a conscious choice.

We must consciously choose to smile even when we’re in a tough spot.

We must consciously choose to be kind even when cruelty is present left and right.

We must consciously choose to be grateful even when bad days trump the good ones.

It will take a lot of effort, but it will be rewarding. Thinking positively attracts goodness in our lives. Heck, we need a bucketful of goodness today more than ever. So, let’s start with our mindset and everything will, hopefully, follow. ❤️

At the end of the day, that’s one thing I wish that will never leave us: hope that our tomorrow will be better than our yesterday.

XO,