Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. My post is late today because it’s the holiday season and life has gotten busier. I’ve been working and writing. I’m taking some advice from a friend on my story, and we’ll see where it takes me.
Photo credit: SolanoSnapper on Visualhunt.com
But enough about that, today I’d like to talk about having a positive mindset. This is important because it’s the difference between feeling horrible inside versus feeling at peace. Now, I’m not talking about toxic positivity, where one doesn’t even acknowledge the negative side of things, but about choosing to deal with the negative side of things in a positive way.
There will always be negativity. You can focus on it if you want to and become depressed or look at the positive in the situation and develop a more contented outlook. A friend of mine constantly complains about her husband. How he never helped her with the household chores, never helped with dinner, and never washed a dish while their kids were growing up. I can see where this would be a constant source of irritation, however, he worked full-time while his wife stayed home and raised their four kids. He worked very hard often long hours especially during tax season. He was a CPA.
The thing she’s forgetting is, it was his hard work that paid for her to get her teaching degree. So, after her fourth child was born and old enough to go to a babysitter, she went back to school. She was a mother during the era when men didn’t help in the home, they were meant to be the provider, the woman was supposed to take care of the kids.
I feel if my friend focused on the fact her husband paid for her education and not the fact he didn’t help around the house as much as she liked, she’d feel happier. Her negativity just brings everyone down. Another positive of the fact her husband didn’t help around the house, is it forced her kids to step up to the plate and learn how to cook and clean, and be self-reliant.
I believe if she changed her mindset and acknowledge it would have been nice if he helped around the house, but I got my education and my kids learned how to take care of themselves, so there were some benefits to his inability to help out.
So, this holiday season when we’re getting together with friends and family, let’s try and acknowledge the negative side of the situation, but focus on the positive. Maybe we won’t have as many negative reactions, and we’ll have a more peaceful holiday. How about you? Do you know someone in your life who’s so focused on the negative that they aren’t acknowledging the positive? How do you help them? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
