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The human existence is one of contrast – we experience things as being
either pleasurable or not so pleasurable based on our perception of the
opposite of that thing. Without contrast there can be no good or bad,
there can be no right and wrong, and there can be no black and white.
If you think of happiness as a positive emotion, then you must also have
experienced sadness. If you think of money as being something that makes
you happy, then you must have realized what it is like to not have
enough of it. If you think of perfect health and weight loss as being
keys to your joy, then you must also have the knowledge of what it means
to be overweight or unhealthy.
So, bearing all of that in mind, if we are supposed to attain our goals
in life by positive thinking, a question is then raised about what
happens to everything that we don’t perceive as “positive”.
Based on the fact that we experience positive things by comparing them
to what we perceive as negative, then the fact remains that the negative
things MUST exist. They have to be “out there” somewhere, or else we
wouldn’t have anything to judge our positive feelings and experiences
on.
Let’s jump ahead to a time in your life when you will experience some of
that negativity. It’s bound to happen eventually, if you’re not already
dealing with it frequently. Eventually you will have something that – no
matter how hard you try – brings about a negative reaction or situation
in your life.
If you are truly skilled in the art of positive thinking, then these
circumstance will be rare, and they will pass quickly. However, the fact
remains that regardless of how much of a positive person you are, there
will come a time when you have to deal with something that you consider
to be negative.
In a classic state of irony if one ever existed, it is possible for you
to USE that negativity to achieve a positive result! Here are 3
examples:
1) Mental – If something bad happens to you or becomes a factor in your
life, you can embrace that negativity as a reminder of what you DON’T
want in your life. If that negativity is brought about by a bad
relationship, then embrace the fact that you will never be in that kind
of relationship again because you now know what you DON’T want. You can
take positive steps towards making sure that your next relationship has
none of the negative aspects of the previous one. That same concept
could be applied to almost any negative situation that affects you
mentally.
2) Physical – When you are upset about something – especially angry or
frustrated –then exercise!
Pound out your frustrations on the treadmill
or weight training floor. Take a kickboxing class or use a punching bag.
Go hit the sidewalk and see if you can break your personal land-speed
record for the 2-mile run. In a nutshell, use your negative emotions as
POWER to juice up a great workout. The positive side effects are that
you will feel much better after your brain releases the exercise-induced
endorphins, and you will also be more calm when you return home or to
work where the negativity was introduced to you in the first place.
Also, you get to be more healthy!
3) Task List – Using the same example as when you exercise, take that
bottled up negative energy and explode it onto the things that you have
to get done in life. You would be amazed at how fast you can clean your
house from top to bottom when properly motivated, or how quickly you can
knock task after task off of your to-do list when you are screaming
around with the power and the speed of a freight train behind you!
None of the words in this article are meant to imply that you should try
to find negativity in your life just so you can energize your personal
output. You should also not focus on your negativity and use it’s power
as a “crutch” to get through life or to stay on top of your
responsibilities.
No, as this article started out saying, being positive IS the way to go,
and you can use the power of positivity to literally build the life of
your dreams.
However, when life throws you a curve ball and you have no choice but to
deal with negativity, then turn it into a positive thing by doing
something good with it !
By Aaron M. Potts
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