Being positive is not something which comes naturally to most of us. Why is that? Well, you would obviously and quite rightly assume that being positive, and having an attitude of positivity would bring us good things, make us happy, make us successful and feel fulfilled. So, if you had a choice, on paper, of two options written in front of you, then you would clearly choose to be positive. The problem though, is that we are constantly and continually fighting negativity around us, all day, every day, from almost the moment we were born, and throughout our life. We too, assume this negativity as our natural instinct and it becomes ingrained in us. From that moment on, whenever we want to do something, we have to fight against that negativity in order to do it.
This ranges from the most inconsequential of tasks such as you are sitting on the sofa but you need to go to the shops, or you want to go for a run or to the gym but you can't be bothered, right up to the many important things that fill our lives every day. We have to fight against negativity to do them.
So what is it that causes negativity? Well, generally speaking there are two main considerations; laziness and fear. We are inherently lazy as a species. We will always cut corners when we can. We will always do the absolute minimum in order to get by. That's just the way we are and it can be traced all the way back to primal instincts; we want to conserve our energy for when we actually need it, which is why lions sleep for 20 odd hours a day. They conserve their energy for hunting. We no longer need to act this way, but sadly, we have not shaken off this trait. Fear, on the other hand, is the main thing which holds us back from a positive life. We are SCARED of losing, of failing, of being humiliated, of getting things wrong, and even of dying. The tragedy in this scenario is that it is only the ones who TRY that actually succeed. Not everyone who tries will of course succeed, but it is guaranteed that the ones who don't, wont!
The fear of failure, humiliation etc is what holds us back in life. It stifles our potential, the potential which ALL of us have. In some cases, it leads to additional problems such as mental health issues, insecurities, anxiety and depression. The great news is that we are not slaves to this fear, we are merely controlled by it. And all that we need to do is to take back that control. In order to do this, we have to make a conscious decision, to overcome the laziness of our instinct, to get up and to take ACTION. We must actively take conscious control of our thoughts and recognise that EFFORT is the only way to progress, to halt stagnation. We must change our own attitude from 'I CAN'T do it', to 'I CAN do it'! It only requires a small step to re programme your mindset. This is why we should be positive.
When we take stock of our lives, most of us are not happy. The majority of people do not like their jobs. They feel unfulfilled. But if you want to work with animals, go and work with animals. The only thing that is stopping you is your own EFFORT and your own ACTION. To be happy is the simplest thing in the world. It requires no money, no possessions, nothing. The only thing it requires is control of your own mindset. We can ALL achieve happiness.
How then do we overcome fear? That 'thing' which holds us back. Well, we need to be able to accept defeat, and to not have concern over it. That does not mean that we don't care if we lose, but that we have faith in ourselves that defeat is nothing final. We can always, always get back up, dust ourselves down, and continue moving forward. We can turn ourselves into a tank and carry on no matter what hits us along our path.
Please do not confuse though, that overcoming fear is universal. We obviously developed fear as a self preservation; in other words we retain our instinct that if we fall off a cliff, we will die. We are talking about overcoming fear in order to not hold ourselves back.
Bruce Lee said, "To accept defeat, to learn to die is to be liberated by it. You must free your ambitious mind, and learn the art of dying". That, of course, does not mean that you are intending to die, but you are capable of taking it to the extreme, in your mind, that you can and will succeed, no matter what. Only when you can accept the possibility of dying, will you feel peace, and therefore give the maximum power to your greatest assets. When you are free of the fear of losing, and therefore that ambitious 'need', you will have the most control over your success. This is why we should be positive. When we can achieve peace and contentment in ourselves, the power of our positive mind will lead us to success.
Being happy is a success, just as much as winning a 100 metre race or becoming a millionaire. They are all relative and are achieved through having a positive mind.
So when you say to yourself "I can do better. Honest", just remember that you don't have to justify your standards to anyone else. You only have to be your own standard, so if you are not happy with something, get back up and try again.
Have a great day.
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