The Power of Positivity: How it Can Change Your Life

Why Positivity is Important

Positivity can change your life. I don't mean that metaphorically, it can literally change your life and can do so faster than just about anything else in the world. Negativity seems to be what sells today, what grabs views today, what directs traffic to websites and social media accounts today, but Positivity....positivity will bring you results that you can't imagine. Positivity might not make you rich, unless that's really what you want in the world and once you get it, you'll probably realize you were chasing something else, but it will make you healthier, happier, and more fulfilled every single day of your life, which I'll remind you all...is finite so finding enjoyment in your time on this Earth is definitely worthwhile.

I was recently watching a video on social media and a guy was talking about having a superior state of mind which he labeled a "SSOM" and initially I scoffed which wasn't super positive of me but then he explained. The man, said something to this effect, "People tend to look at a glass as half full or half empty and we call them optimists or pessimists, but I would rather cut the glass in half and be left with a full glass." The video was built within the context of him making $50,000,000/year so naturally the comments section on the video was filled with comments like, "We know this cap" and "This dude isn't making that kind of money" and when I first heard it, I thought it was a pretty catchy slogan without much value but the more I thought about it the more the metaphor grew into something impactful for me.

Removing Negativity

As I've thought more about that example of a person's state of mind, I've begun to think about what it means to remove the empty part of that glass and I've personally interpreted it as removing the pessimism. I've thought about it as removing doubts, facing fears, and taking action to remove whatever things in life might be holding you back. For some people that can be substance abuse, a negative perception of oneself or the world, chronic stress due to a life circumstance, or the people and content they spend their time with. I've mentioned this in previous articles but taking inventory of where your time goes is very important when it comes to how you view the world.

If you have people or influences in your life that encourage you to say things like, "I can't", "I would but", "That won't work because", or anything along those lines then adjust your circle. Delete those social media accounts but don't just delete them. I'd challenge you to find a positive replacement on social media for every negative influence that you delete. They're out there and they aren't very hard to find but the algorithm won't serve them up to you, so you'll have to search! The biggest positive in that journey is that, after intentionally making positivity your goal the algorithms will start pumping positive content to you because...well it's just an algo and the reason it sends negative things now is because we spend our time on those things. As we spend our time on positive things it will adjust and continue to send positivity our way.

The Power of Positivity on Your Health

Alright, so for the folks who are skeptical about if being positive even makes an impact on your life, we'll start with its impact on your health. According to an article entitled "The Power of Positive Thinking" by John Hopkins we learn that "People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook." The article also points out that, although the connection between positivity and health is somewhat unclear, "What is clear, however, is that there is definitely a strong link between “positivity” and health. Additional studies have found that a positive attitude improves outcomes and life satisfaction across a spectrum of conditions—including traumatic brain injury, stroke and brain tumors." It's clear that positivity can have a significant impact on our physical health, but it can have an equally significant impact on our mental health. Positive thinking has been shown to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and to improve overall mood. In fact, studies have found that people who engage in positive thinking tend to have lower levels of stress hormones and a stronger immune system. Basically, focusing on positive things and finding ways to eliminate negativity can help you feel better, be healthier, and in some cases live longer. For me personally it's also a much more enjoyable way of living.

The Impact of Positivity on the People Around You

As you begin to choose positivity and adjust the things you think, say, and do on a daily basis you can expect a mixed bag of reactions from the people around you. Some of those people will be very supportive and encourage you to stay positive and affirm the choice while others will tell you to be realistic and pull your head out of the sand. It is definitely important to not pull a Candide and just walk around pretending like nothing negative exists in the world so as those naysayers do what they do best and challenge your positive thought processes be prepared to explain that you don't think that bad things don't happen but that you choose to focus on your ability to make meaning of negatives and positively impact outcomes every day.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to being a positive person and avoiding negative spaces is that it can influence the people around you. Have you ever listened to a podcast, watched a few reels, or listened to a speech and just felt good about it? Well imagine if you had a culture surrounding you that made you feel that way daily? I love this quote from Al Roker, "You can't change the world alone - you will need some help - and to truly get from your starting point to your destination takes friends, colleagues, the good will of strangers and a strong coxswain to guide them." Your journey to reframing the way you view the world will be more enjoyable if you bring some people on the journey with you! I'd encourage you to include people in the journey who are generally pretty positive as they're going to be way more agreeable to you challenging them when they're struggling to see the good in a situation and you'll be way more accepting of their constructive criticism as well.

Making Meaning of Loss

I'm big on the concept of forward motion and what I mean by that is, to constantly stay moving towards something. There is definitely value in taking time to put a strategy together, but a lot of people spend a ton of time planning, no time acting, and often find that the moment they were planning for has passed them by. The intersection of forward motion and positivity is that, in the face of difficult life circumstances, you continue to work towards whatever goals you might have while focusing on the positive impact that you can make on the current situation. There is also value in taking time to make meaning of a loss. As a matter of fact, it's essential most of the time for your mental well-being.

When a loved one dies, a job is lost, a divorce happens, or something catastrophic happens in your life you definitely need to take time to process that loss. Please don't understand this article to say that those things aren't needed but I would also encourage you all to acknowledge the loss, figure out how it will impact your life, and then figure out how you will make meaning of it. An example of this would be losing a loved one, recognizing that you'll miss them and whatever role they played in your life, and then figuring out how you would honor their memory. I've seen people share quotes from friends who have passed, mention them regularly in conversation, and even have mementos made about those people to help them continue forward mthe-power-of-positivity-how-it-can-change-your-lifeotion and make meaning of those losses. Some people start foundations or volunteer their time to charities to make meaning of a loss. Figuring out how to best deal with loss will be an individual experience but I'd encourage you all to do those three things.

We will be Defined by our Actions and our Attitudes

As I referenced in the opening paragraph life is finite. One day, every single one of us will draw our last breath and our time here will be defined by our actions and our attitudes. I hope that this article encourages someone to fill whatever time they have with good things. I hope that someone will read this and choose to focus on positives, reframe a negative situation into a positive one, or open up a conversation with someone about pruning negativity from their life. I spent years focusing on problems that needed to be solved at work. I spent years thinking about how frustrating employees and customers could be and obsessing over how I could (or couldn't) fix whatever issues were on my plate for the day. Today I'm choosing to focus on the positives in those situations. When given the opportunity to influence people, regardless of their existing role in my life, I choose positivity. When a customer is difficult maybe I can be a bright part of their day. When an employee isn't executing a plan, I'll view it as a coaching opportunity or see if I've done my job well when it comes to training them. When I lost my job, I decided to figure out what was important to me in life and what I determined is I just want to enjoy it. I want to enjoy the time that I have with my family, my friends, and anybody I spend the precious moments of my life with. I want to enjoy the things that I do in those times, and I want to encourage as many people as I possibly can to do the same thing. Take care of yourselves, do something positive today, and thank you for taking the time to read.

John

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John Lockman is passionate about promoting men's mental health. Having lost a family member to suicide at an early age, he is committed to raising awareness about the disproportionate number of men affected by this devastating issue. Through his own personal experiences and his website, www.thelockmanlounge.com, John hopes to help men think differently about how to prioritize their well-being and become more comfortable acknowledging and processing their feelings in a healthy way.

In addition to his passion for mental health advocacy, John also has almost two decades of experience in the business world. Most recently, he oversaw roughly 100 million dollars of annual revenue and was responsible for managing a team of 75 employees. In this role, John had a significant impact on customer service, profitability, employee retention, and marketplace growth. With his wealth of knowledge and experience, John is a seasoned professional with valuable insights to share.