Positivity is a Force — Wield It
Positivity is a Force — Wield It
The other night I went out for wine and a small bite with my son. We chose a table outside on the warm summer evening and our waitress soon…
The other night I went out for wine and a small bite with my son. We chose a table outside on the warm summer evening and our waitress soon appeared. After she took our order, both of sat, nearly stunned for a moment. Because — she was beautiful. Yes, she was beautiful physically, but it was more than that. She had such an amazing sunny and cheerful attitude.
Her positive energy lifted both of us and made the entire evening.
It brought to mind another young woman I know, the daughter of a friend. That friend is constantly telling me how beautiful her daughter is — but I’ve never seen it. Yes, her daughter could be called beautiful physically, but she is angry and sullen and self-centered.
That negative energy affects everyone around her.
It is easy to think of positivity as dorky. Our society seems to foster snark, and its cool to be above it all. People who are too perky are viewed as suspicious, like they aren’t paying attention. Right? Or maybe they are lacking a certain intelligence that would make them realistic. Practical.
Because we all know now that positive thinking doesn’t work. There’s a popular book our right now that states that as its theme.
I’m here to call bullshit on all that. My therapist friend often talks about how we carve neuro-pathways in our brain. You can carve negative ones or positive ones. The one you think negative thoughts, the stronger that neuro-pathway will become. Ditto with the positive thoughts.
So, yeah, we really do become what we think. Don’t tell me positive thinking doesn’t work.
Even if you gave me incontrovertible proof that it didn’t work, I’d still prefer it. Because the world is a sunnier place when you look at it with a positive attitude. And just as energy breeds energy, positivity breeds positivity.
This is not to deny that we’ve got problems afoot. Big problems. And I’m not advocating ignoring them and going about your cheerful way. We need to work on them with all the energy we’ve got. But it still doesn’t mean you have to succumb to negativity and a doom and gloom attitude.
Be positive. It’s one of the most radical acts you can choose.
Charlotte Rains Dixon is the author of the novel Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior (Vagabondage Press, February 2013), and articles published in magazines such as Vogue Knitting, The Oregonian and Pology, to name only a few, and her short fiction has been published in Somerset Studios, The Trunk and the Santa Fe Writer’s Project. She earned her MFA in creative writing at Spalding University in 2003, and has been teaching and coaching writers ever since, both privately and as an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University’s Write program. Charlotte now leads workshops in Portland, Nashville, and France. She’s been blogging about writing, creativity, and motivation at charlotterainsdixon.com since 2007. She is repped by Erin Niumata at FolioLiterary. Visit her website at charlotterainsdixon.com and her travel site at letsgowrite.com.