{"id":150,"date":"2016-10-26T10:10:08","date_gmt":"2016-10-26T10:10:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shiningideas.org\/?p=150"},"modified":"2016-10-26T21:16:37","modified_gmt":"2016-10-26T21:16:37","slug":"the-positivity-talk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shiningideas.org\/?p=150","title":{"rendered":"The Positivity Talk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cHow do you become an optimistic person?,\u201d<\/em> I asked my oldest sister, Antoinette.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just do it,\u201d<\/em> she replied straightforwardly.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/em> I was slightly offended on how quickly she answered. Hah, like it\u2019s that simple I thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, being positive is a choice. You choose to see the good,\u201d<\/em> she smiled and looked at me.<\/p>\n

The conversation didn\u2019t go exactly this way but it was pretty close.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t really understand this when I first heard it and thought it was a load of hooey. I\u2019d think, \u201cPositivity is my choice?!\u201d \u201cHow can I \u2018choose\u2019 to be positive when I\u2019m stuck in a negative environment?!\u201d Or, \u201cHow can I \u2018choose\u2019 to be positive when I\u2019m always sick?!\u201d This is how I feel and I can’t change it! Nu-uh, nope, no sir!<\/p>\n

As a self proclaimed Eeyore (who is trying to help herself) I\u2019ve read tons of positivity blogs, articles, and advice columns and they all seem to have one big thing in common: positivity is a decision you make.<\/strong> The more I thought of it\u2014the more it made sense. I recall a sermon that once told a story about a husband and wife who were fighting when all of a sudden the phone rang. After a few more huffs and puffs, the wife picked up and with the sweetest voice said, \u201cGood evening, hello?\u201d to the person on the other line.\u00a0How did she so quickly switch from being furious to calm before answering the phone? It was a choice<\/em>\u00a0she made. A-ha.<\/p>\n

Positive Pollyanna<\/strong><\/p>\n

They call it the \u201cPollyanna Principle\u201d and I think she\u2019s on to something. If you haven\u2019t read the book, it\u2019s about this overly optimistic girl named Pollyanna who sees the good in everything. And when I say \u201ceverything\u201d I mean ev-ry-th-ing. The girl had a knack of being grateful even if she was given the attic as a bedroom (in a mansion filled with empty rooms) by her aunt and water and bread for dinner. I don\u2019t know about you, but it would be very difficult for me to not be bitter if I were in her raggedy shoes. In 1 Thessalonians the Lord reminds us to:<\/p>\n

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.<\/em><\/p>\n

– 1 Thessalonians 5:18<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u00a0<\/em>We may not all be able to be as optimistic as Pollyanna, but there are things we can choose to do to help us lean a little more to the right attitude.<\/p>\n