Trying to Stay Positive

yellow positive@www.freeimage.com

When you are recovering from a difficult incident, a past event, a break up, or anything where you are trying to heal it can really seems so hard to stay positive. I went on a negativity "diet". Never thought that idea would come out of my head but it did and I actively spent time ensuring that I only "fed" myself positives. 

I realised that by surrounding myself with positive minded people meant I had natural pick me ups. Positive thinking people see opportunities and possibilities and this gives off a positive vibes and created positive vibes in me.  I felt good about me, my life and  I wanted to share this good vibe with those around me. This experience, this cloud of possibility, lifted me up when I was in danger of slipping into 'negativeville'.  I realised that if I couldn't always surround myself with positive people that I would need to fill myself up. By doing so I would develop and sustain myself and prevent myself from becoming a 'positive vibe groupie' you know the leeches who end up sucking peoples' vibes/or living off other peoples vibes rather  than create her own. The  truth is there is more in me than I realised and I wanted to open myself up to tap into my inner gems/rough diamonds. So what did I do?  

broken diamonds by hwork @www.freeimages.com

I made an effort to avoid anything that was going to bring my spirits down. I can hear you say. "thats not the real world". But who said the world you're living in is real?(yeah a bit of the Matrix in me) My avoidance began with things like TV shows, television news, Newspapers, gossip magazine ( I was glad to switch off from some of that crap), hanging around people whose lives just leapt from one drama to the next.  I also found that I became a little more conscious about my own thoughts. Any time I felt that I was thinking negative things about myself or others I  told myself to stop that thinking and replaced it with imagining my day being better if...... I would say things like 'My day is so much better because......... and I found that I started having an appreciative mindset. 

I found myself being thankful for what I actually had rather than what I did not have.  I became thankful for what I had right in front of me. You know the funny thing is that the more I do that the more I find I have. I'm not saying you should bury your head in the sand but some time you need to take care of yourself:  meditate and think good things. I used positive cards to help me meditate  and I listened to tapes and songs that made me feel happier. I found old cassette tapes with music on them that I hadn't heard for years! Memory lane was sweet and right now I have a smile on my face remembering events tied to some of those tapes! Lol. 

I turned out my Facebook and only looked at things that I felt were either uplifting events or would uplift me. I found the Pinterest website and began to look at quotes that inspired me. I eventually created my own boards, collecting items that would inspire and uplift me.  When I came across good news stories/items that I liked I shared them. I focused on people who were sharing their talents and found some really great new artists that I now follow.  I had joined the local church choir just before Christmas and they were preparing for an Easter service, so I have been going along to their weekly rehearsals, singing (one of my early loves) and having pure joke with these ladies. It has felt like school days again. I realised that being good to me doesn't just mean going out and buying something to make me feel good. 

First and foremost I have to take care of me and that includes doing things that feed my 'soul' and it means protecting myself from things that might impact on my peace of mind. I have found that reading so called self-help books has been useful too. I tripped over a book while watching an episode of Being Mary Jane (yep I've become a fan of the programme eventually). It was something a character said and he referred to a book and a writer. The book was called Ask and It is Given: Learning to Manifest your Desires by Ester and Jerry Hicks. God knows I needed to hear that message. 

If you think that I am saying that staying positive doesn't take work then I'm afraid I would be lying. I am not saying this doesn't take work. It does. But why allow so much negativity to just flow into your life unchecked. This is what we do when we just don't pay attention to ourselves. When you're thirsty you take a drink, when hungry you get food so when you need to check out of the negative take a break.  Why not take a little control each day rather than become a vacant vessel that just absorbs the crap the media churns out on a daily basis. Why not exercise the right to balance your day.

It can be small steps at first like in the morning reading a positive quote or listening to a positive song. Don't turn on the radio or TV but allow the noise you want in rather than what happens to past by your way. When reading the newspaper if the first two sentences begin to make you feel upset look for another story that makes you smile or feel good. When you are around people who just want to rant and rave about something or another move out the way.....or just say I'm not hearing that today let’s talk about some good news. In my home we never turn on the TV in the mornings. We have quiet. We talk to each other, say goodbye and actually hear each other. When the kids leave for school the only sound I hear is me pottering around and the text messages from the kids informing me that they have reach school. I always text back with a positive message for their day along with hugs and kisses. Then I am ready for the rest of my day. 

Now believe me I know with all the crap going on in the world that I am sounding like an airy fairy person right now but I tell you what. When the crap comes I find that I am in a better place to deal with it than if I didn't take some of the steps mentioned above. So really I’m gonna keep doing what is working for me. Right now I feel a lot more balanced than I have for a long while but each day is a new day to keep the positive alive. 

 This simple act will create a ripple in my life. What ripple will you create?

 "A simple act of caring creates an endless ripple."